The Week in Review

“The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth”
Originally preached by Jewel D. Williams

at Faith COG 8/06(Part V)

So what does this truth call for you and I to do?

We must die as Jesus did. – You and I must crucify self so that when we do, we are nailing the sin in our lives on the cross so that they no longer have control over us. Let us stop walking as sinners, but as saints because that is what we have become. That is what Jesus gave his life for, so that you and I could walk in victory. We have the victory right now. We believe that when Jesus died and rose again, he took control from Satan over the people of God. Yes, Satan is still walking to and fro and he still has control over the lives of the unsaved. The day you are saved, he loses his control over you. He cannot do anything to you that God does not allow him to. And he is really stupid. He is stupid because God takes the things he does for harm against us, and God uses it to grow us. See God knows those areas in our lives that are weak or still under the control of the flesh and he will allow Satan to tempt us in those areas because he is going to use the trial to bring about new growth in us. God would not allow you to be tempted if he didn’t know you could make it through, God does not set you up for failure. And secondly Satan wouldn’t tempt you in these areas or try to trick your out of your victory if he didn’t think you could pass. If you were going to fail, he wouldn’t have to bother you. But he bothers you because he knows if you trust God you will pass the test. The oxymoron is you and I allow him to take our victory. Think about that, you already have the victory and you give it away. Stop giving him what is already yours.

We must be made alive to Christ. – We then rise from the grave (the places were we were buried. We were buried under the weight of sin, shame, and guilt) to a new life in Christ. Christ rose in power and when we rise, we rise in power. We rise to do those things that Christ did. The truth is, you and I were raised by the power of Christ not to simply come to church Sunday after Sunday never changing and growing. The power of the cross and the resurrection gives us the ability to move from our ordinary life to an extraordinary one. So me, a simple mother of three, with a past history of abuses, with no self worth, with no sense of value, with no power to overcome the past hurts can now become a great warrior in the battle for the Lord. See before I could not see the vast wonders before me. I could not see that my prayers would availeth much. I could not see that I could preach the word of God and that it would set the captives free, and it would bring new life into that which was dead. I did not see that I could use all my gifts to the glory of God.

Are our lives reflective of the one we believe in? I don’t know about you but I want to see the miraculous show forth from my life. I want to see God’s power do wonderful things through me. And so I stand as one that carries a burden for the church just as Paul loved the church and cared for her, so I stand to say, do not allow anything to move you from the truth of God’s word. Do not be fooled either that you can do as you wish and because you got saved you can continue in sin. One of the greatest areas I see of issues in the lives of individuals is they want to hide sins. If you confess them to God he will forgive you of your sins. The problem comes in when you listen to the enemy tell you don’t let anyone know what you did, because God forgave you, that is all is needed, besides who does your sin hurt? You would be surprised how your sins and its consequences can affect the lives of others. Do not expect God to listen to your prayers until you go back and correct what you have done to someone else. We have to start being willing to be transparent before the Lord and before each other. That’s why Adam and Eve covered up; they were trying to hide their sins. God is calling for his people to be transparent before each other. We cannot do anyone any good with hidden sins. Do you know that God can’t grow you until you confess those hidden things in your life? Don’t say, well I confess them to God so that is all that counts. It is not. God is concerned about our relationships with each other. You might have to go to some people you have offended because of your sins and ask them to forgive you. Now if they don’t that’s between them and God, but now you have cleared your path to God. That is God’s truth uncut. See I am not going to give you a message to sooth you, or pacify you, but the truth because truth sets you free, lies only call for more lies and when you lie, even if it is by omission, you are trying to protect yourself. Self-preservation. That is not of God. Truth uncovers, and truth does what is right even if it calls for hurt to self. Truth people, God wants truth to be evident in your walk.

Let me tell you the truth on why this is most important, no sin can enter into heaven. Hell is a real place. Hell is a place of eternal torment. And let me give you my understanding of what makes the torment so horrific, God’s presence isn’t there. I had a conversation with someone about the fact that all, even the unsaved have someone they can say love them. You feel love from your parent, your spouse, friends or brothers and sisters. And do you know that in hell you won’t have love. And the most terrible part is this, when you stand before the judgment seat of God, you will for that brief moment experience the fullness of God’s presence and in that presence is love, to have it quickly taken away. So you will be in hell forever remembering how that love felt, but to have it no longer. Your heart will long for it, but it will never be quenched. Your mind will remember it, but you will not ever get it. See the Jehovah’s Witness preach their truth that if you die you will go to an eternal sleep and not be in the presence of God. That is not true. You will be awake, feeling the torment, the agony of hell. You will be aware eternally of what you have done. I weep to think of an eternity without feeling the love of God, an eternity without feeling joy, peace, rest, or his comfort. And the greatest torment is knowing you could have had all these things, but you refused and sent yourself to hell, not God.

So today, I come to say to you, let us not lean to our own understanding. Let us eat God’s word so that we can be equipped to stand in these last and evil days. Many are coming and have already entered this world that want to deceive you. The enemy wants to lull you into a false sense of security in yourself. He wants you to doubt what you have been taught. He wants you to walk away from the truth of God’s word. But I come in love and say do not be deceived. I come to say, do not give away the liberty you have been given in Christ. Christ came to set you free from sin and death. He requires you to walk in his ways. God gives you his Spirit so that you can walk this Christian walk. He does not expect you to do this alone. So no amount of work, self-denial, will make you reach heaven. Only the precious gift of salvation offered because of the Son of God can open to you heavens gates.