“INEXCUSABLE” Pr Edi Giudetti 24-02-2018 The year was 1987 and things were, well fantastic. The market was booming and showed no sign of abating. Husbands and wives had made their plans well and trusted that they were setting themselves up perfectly for a comfortable retirement. They had set aside money to put into the market. The last time they looked their portfolio was doing well, they had 20 % increase in value on averageon all their stocks, some even grew by multiples. It was an exciting time to be alive. Everyone had an expected end, a good end. There were many small investors that got in with little of their own money, they borrowed the money knowing that they could easily pay off the loans with the increasing value of their equity . Some even used the growing equityin their stocks as collateral for more loans (sound familiar?).  “Top idea”, “What could go wrong!” all the professionals, the people in power, the officials, all of them just kept encouraging people. President Ronald Reagan, together with the recently elected Alan Greenspan to the Federal Reserve Chair were still quite bullish on the market that had been rising substantially all year except for a reasonable dip in September.  But there were a few voices, not many of them but they were there and loud, warning that all was not right and catastrophe was looming.  Men like Paul Tudor Jones, a Hedge Fund manager, who saw all the signs for an unexpected end. But who wants to hear them when things are going so well? They were just annoying little canaries, and when they are singing, doesn’t it actually means all is good in the coal mine? CONDEMNATION BY REPLICATION (1-3) 1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 1Therefore A word that expresses with utmost clarity that all that has gone before it links to what comes after it.  Sometimes it is given as a summation, an adding up of the total of everything above to equal what comes after. And sometimes it is employed as it is here as a logical summary, in other words, all that goes before logically and naturally equates to or equals what comes after. Romans 1 betrayed the true, natural state of man and finished with words that describe mans complete ruin; look back with me; 28And even as they did not like to retain God intheirknowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. If that is all true, if all man who does these things knows that those who commit them are worthy of death, yet both do the same things and have pleasure in them that do them, are they not THEREFORE INEXCUSABLE?  Hold that thought of inexcusability for a moment; Consider the first two words; THEREFORE THOU Since becoming a preacher and having occasionally heard great preaching, I had built in me a desire to become a Words Smith, a person who has the ability to frame perfect wordsand frame them in a way that would cause people to remember the message for the sake of eternity. Well, there is no greater Words Smith than the Lord; Therefore THOUart inexcusable, O man… Here the Lord has chosen to use a singular pronoun to refer to man both personally and globally. Not only is God referring t

God Gave Them Up Pr Edi Giudetti 17-02-2019 When my children were very little and beginning to walk, I remember holding their hands up as they would take each step. As a father I did not want my child to fall. There were some times that I would let go purposefully knowing that some falls where good, perhaps a little painful but beneficial.  But when there was a greater risk of serious injury I would be there to hold them up.  Now, this analogy has a limit you see, because as a father I would not have my child in danger even if she or he wanted to get into danger. As a father no matter how much my child would desire for me to let go of her hand at a traffic light, I simply would not.  This is also true with God toward those who are his own. But those who are not his own, he simply offers his hand, it can be accepted or refused. There are natural consequences to both depending on the situation. Those who will not take the hand clearly offered to them, he gives up to themselves, he gives them over to the natural desires of their hearts.  Always however, his hands are evidently visible, always he is ready for them to take it, if they would. 1.   The Rejection of God in the Heart Deforms Our Desires. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.Romans 1:26-27 For this cause…For what Cause? The verse before makes it clear, saying 25“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” What we had seen in the portion written before, and expounded upon last week, is that the natural cause of the rejection of our worship of God in the heart leads to a worship of all that is not God; The passage from verse 20 reminds us that all that we need to know of the reality of God is understood through all that is created by him, “The invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” Man is held accountable to know all that needs to be known about God to draw him to worship God.  He is literally “without excuse”. But when that which is plain to see and understand is rejected, the only thing that can naturally replace what is true is error; “who changed the truth of God into a lie…” says verse 25.  But what we discover is not a cessation of worship, man does not stop worshipping all together, man simply switches the object of his worship from the creator to that which is created; And then,  26For this cause; For the cause of our rejection of God in our hearts, God gave them upunto vile affections: The Rejection of God in the Heart Deforms Our Desires. To have something deformed is to have it completely changed, distorted is close, but does not go far enough to describe the changed desires in man when God is rejected in the heart.  The Rejection of God in the Heart DEFORMS our desires. When we have rejected all that is plain to see respecting God,  we then naturally accept all that is opposed to God. Beloved this is true concerning everything in life; I work in the construction industry, if I reject the specific methods of good constructionI will naturally accept the infinite ways of building something badly.  If a nurse rejectsthe specific methods of good care, he/she will naturally accept the infinite number of ways poor care might be gotten away with. If you are an engineer, if you reject the basic laws of engineering, people could die! Respecting Economists the opposite seems to be true;If you are an engineer and get it WR

Changed The Truth of God Into A Lie Pr Edi Giudetti 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified himnot as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. AmenRomans 1:18-25 Verse 16 begins saying, For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for itFOR WHAT? (THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST) is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that beleiveth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  V17 For therein WHEREIN?(THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION) is the righteousness of God revealed,BY WHAT MEANSIS IT REVEALED? from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. God has a clear and direct interest in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and demonstrates his power through the sharing of it by faith to all who believe. The end of which is the salvation from damnation of the sinner.  IT IS THE ETERNAL WIN, WIN, WIN and I do not believe anyone wins more than God does when a single sinner repents, For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). It is his own purpose fulfilled! Before he rose to heaven, Jesus said, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16      He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mrk 16:15-16) Believing that God came into this world as a man, as it was promised long before, God was manifest in the flesh,and that this Jesus gave himself as a ransom for many, a ransom for your own sin, will be what saves you from judgement!  The Bible says; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Rom 3:10-12) If you believe in your heart that Jesus died to save you from the consequences of that, you are saved.  But if you do not believe the Gospel, you will have to face that judgement for your own sins, and like the devils for whom hell was created, be cast into it for all eternity. Brethren,  the idea that our good will outweigh our bad is false in every way, it does not work in this life and nor will it before God.  In this life, the prerequisite for freedom is to keep the law, no man who is caught breaking the law will have their “Good” measured against their bad! They simply must pay the cost of breaking the law, why?  Because keeping the law is the Minimum requirement for your continual residence within society. Keeping the Law is the prerequisite, disobedience will see you separated from the joys of society and freedom.What is true of this life is true of the next. The reason we are not ashamed of The Gospel of Christ, is because breaking Gods eternal commandments in this life has an eternal cost and only God the Son covered that cost for all who believe.  THE SECOND REVELATION OF GOD 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unri

Romans 1 pt 3 Not Ashamed Of The Gospel Pr Edi Giudetti 03-02-2019 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvationto every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.Romans 1:16-17 There is nothing more precious that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the means and manner and hope for all people, but with it comes the warning to all people. After Romans 1:17 comes the greatest explanation of the ruin of man found anywhere in the scriptures. It tells of the downward spiral of depravityof man when the truth of God is rejected.  But the two verses before us now give to us, in the most condensed form possible, both;  The Proposition of the Gospel The Power of the Gospel,  The Purpose of the Gospel, and finally; The Presence of the Gospel. The Proposition of the Gospel 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; Propositions are put to us every day.It is difficult in-fact to escape any of them, especially if you live in a world where technology has a significant impact on your life. Many things daily are proposed to us, some things beneficial, most things either harmful or having no benefit. A proposition is simply that which is put forward to you as an offer to accept.  Advertisingis the most obvious form used today, but so too are propositions made in the business world, they are made in meetingsof all kinds, they are made by friends, by family, by Politiciansand scientists, teachers. Believe it or not they are also made by film makers, story tellers and musicians. My children and even some of my friends often get frustrated with me because I have a tendency to pick out the message movies are telling us that most people miss. They say “Can’t you just sit and enjoy the movie without thinking too much about it”. What people don’t get is that I enjoy it the way the producers intended it. They have said that every movie they make has a message to deliver and are frustrated that many people don’t see it! Propositions, ideas or items offered to be received! All of these mediums and more, propose to us on a daily basis something we are to accept as having value or faith in.  In other words, we are preached toby many sources, from many angles, propositions we are encouraged to believe. As I said, some are good, most are either harmful or have no benefit. Paul finished his introduction to the Romans in verse 15 saying, “So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospelto you that are at Rome also”  His proposition is The Gospel…not just any gospel, but the Gospel of Christ.  Gospel simply means the Good News, but today it has come also to mean The Truth!The Gospel is a proposition to be presented and commanded to be believed. Yes, COMMANDED. The Gospel is the ultimate command to be OBEYED. Romans 10:15-16 says  “…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel…” Peter asks the question in 1 Peter 4:17  “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if itfirst begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” What shall be their end? Paul gives answer to that specifically in 2 Thess 1:7-9 saying  “…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord…” The Gospel is the Proposition of all Propositions. For if it is both the good news and the truth, then it is the one proposition of all to be believed by all! Paul begin

Ready to Preach The Gospel The Proof of The Gospel What does it take to be ready to preach the gospel? The gospel of Jesus Christ found itself already having impact throughout the known world, who did it take to get there? The Romans were a proof of the effectiveness of the gospel, from it came hope for the entire world, what will it take for you to preach it? 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.Romans 1:8 The timeframe for this letter finds itself placed historically between Pauls desire to come to Rome (v13) and his departure from Macedonia on his way to Jerusalem (See Romans 15:25-26 & Acts 19:21). It would be his last missionary journey and his days would be concluded in Rome.  Paul did not find himself in Rome voluntarily. The missionary journey he undertook to Rome was one that was ordained by God alone.  Paul was charged with blasphemy by the Jews of Jerusalem, bound in chains, appeared before Festus in Caesarea. see Acts 25:7-12 As a free born Roman citizen, the apostle Paul was entitled to a fair trial under Caesar. His journey to Rome was met with peril with yet another ship taken by the storm, yet he did indeed make his way to Rome. Other than the 2ndLetter to Timothy, the last four chapters in the book of Acts is the last we hear of Paul in the Biblical record historically.  Tradition tells that he had suffered martyrdom at the hands of Nero by decapitation. Nero died by 68 ad and Pauls 2ndletter to Timothy was just before his death (see 2 Tim 4:6). First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. My reason for providing to you the historical parameter of Pauls death is that you might know the incredible distribution of the fruit of the Gospelin such a short amount of time historically.  Paul makes the claim respecting the proof of the Gospelthat its witness was seen by the known world several years prior to his death in Rome.  But there is another Biblical and historical witness of the proof of the prosperity of the Gospel turn with me to Acts 17:6-7 1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. 5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king,oneJesus. Many years earlier, the witness of those who fought against the Gospel of Christ proved the prosperity of the preaching of the Gospelas that which “turned the world upside down”. These Romans addressed in this letter did not hear the Gospel through Paul.  (Pauls first missionary journey was quite local, extending only to Asia Minor, his second and third journeys where in a circuit to Athens. Pauls journey to Rome was as a prisoner as stated.) Yet, their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world, their faith and the living out of their faith, was a proof of the Gospel. Cornelius Tacitus is a source outside the Bible that was a witness to the proof of the Gospelin the first century AD. In his writing he

Romans 1 pt 2 THE DECLARATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING Pr EDI GIUDETTI 20-01-2019 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, calledto bean apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declaredto bethe Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, calledto besaints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first message relating to the first two verses, we identified among the many things there written that; It was a Sovereign Serviceto which Paul had his calling. “Paul a servant of Jesus Christ” and noted this calling was;A Pre-Ordained calling” when he was “Called to be an Apostle”. This sovereign service and calling was therefore;A Devine Separationbecause he was “Separated unto the Gospel of God”. And we were able to draw the conclusion that the work he was separated unto was the most secure employment of all because, not only was the service the employment of the sovereign Lord, and not only that the calling itself was Pre-Ordained and separated unto God, but finally that it was;A Prophetic Promisespoken of and witnessed to by all the prophets in who have written of the precise events that would occur concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. (v2) The context of the passage is presented to encourage us all in the work for which we ourselveshave been ordained to undertake. This is by far the most exiting adventure of our lives, the most effective work we can undertake, with a REWARD THAT IS INFINATE IN SCOPE!!!! All that we do in this temporal life, will have wages appointed of eternal significance.  Todays message follows on from last week in consideration of verses 3 to 7 and acknowledging; THE DECLARATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING The realisation of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, motivates our mission! It was atheist HG Wells who is reported to have said “If God does not exist, nothing matters, if God does exist, nothing else matters”. It was the apostle Paul who wrote; “And if Christ be not raised, your faith isvain; ye are yet in your sins.”  What have these two statements got in common? One simple reality changes everything Jesus Christ Was Made Man, According To The Flesh Jesus Christ Was Declared God, By The Resurrection From the Dead Jesus Christ Was Received By The Apostles, For the Preaching to the Nations Jesus Christ Called us to be saints in the work of the Gospel Jesus Christ Was Made Man According To The Flesh 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, calledto bean apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; Paul wonderfully teaching that that gospel of God, that he had long ago promised and spoke through the prophets of old and have it recorded for us in the holy, that is, the true, perfect, pure and dependable scriptures, was that which concerned his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. This third verse; 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; Gives to us an understanding firstly; that Christ is the Son of God(Which we will address in some detail in the next point). Secondly: that he was made man. Thirdly: that his decent followed after the natural order of man(notwithstanding the uniqueness of his birth). Jesus Christ Was Made Man According to the Flesh. Christ had flesh and bone, he bled like all men do. He got tir

20190112 Romans 1 pt 1 Romans 1:1-2 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, A Soveriegn Service Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ Every man on earth is ordained to the service of a master, whether that be that of an employer or of client. The master of all men for all gainful employment of them is either a man or a market, the desires of the men who master us or the market that accepts or rejects us, determines the service which we render them. I have my own business but that does not mean I am my own boss, my prosperity or lack thereof is determined by the marketand, more directly, by the particular clients of that market. Those who are gainfully employed are in the service of an employerwho sets both the task and the value of the employee, but even that is determined by the market. For example, in a time of great construction and where construction workers are few, the demand of the market sets a high value on those few workers. They being both rare and in demand, are essentially set in a public auction; IE, those willing to pay the highest price gain the worker. But when the market turns, and there be little construction demand but comparatively many construction workers, the market is unwilling to pay the larger sums it did before and the auction is reversed, those willing to be sold at the lesser rate win the work. It is what is known as the “Free Market System”, it was not invented by man but discovered by man, it is the normal way things work in a free society. Either way, the market is the sovereign ruler of the servant, it sets both the value of the work and the price of the servant for the work. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ Paul is the servant, not of a market, nor simply of a man, but of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and It’s difficult to appreciate this part of the verse without knowing that Paul was not always ‘a servant’ of Jesus Christ…but before, a persecutor of him. Turn to Acts 7:59  59 And they stoned Stephen, calling uponGod, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. CHAPTER 8 1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephento his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed themto prison.  Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ was beforetime Saul of Tarsus and led the greatest persecution of those of what seemed a new religion called The Way.  He made havock of the Church, in the service of his high priest, he sought further permission from this High Priest, consider Acts chapter 9:1-2  1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:it ishard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lordsaidunto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. Paul began his service in the hands of fickle m

The Letters to The Seven Churches Summary. THE CHOICE The Author 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Gracebeunto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ,who isthe faithful witness,andthe first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to himbeglory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and theyalsowhich pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.REVELATION 1:4-8 It is difficult not to be struck by the value of this passage in the scriptures. Its language is high and lifted up, it speaks of is author in the highest terms imaginable and it relates its purpose as eternally valuable. We read from the outset that this is a document intended to be read, to have as its readership a wide collection of peoples, all in fact who have ears to hear what the spirit says unto the churches.  It is an historical treatise and as such has a value that is beyond compare to any other form of instruction, those of you who do not like or appreciate the understanding of history need to repent of that thought completely, primarily because the entire Bible is a book of history and God has seen fit to design our minds to gain from the understanding of it. It was George Santayana in his book Life of Reason who said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  Many variants of this quote has been used over the years Santayana brings but one consequence of neglecting history. The introduction of the author of these ancient letters is not one filled with flatteryas we see speakers or writers introduced on stage or in books, it is the introduction of the reality of the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings and the hope of eternal life himself.  There is no puffing up or false boasting in the introduction of the author, no unwarranted exaltation simply for the purpose of exciting the attention of those who hear. No beloved, this is the one to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confessthat Jesus Christ is indeed, now and forever, LORD. It’s somewhat difficult not to be in AWE of who it is that writes unto the Church, that indeed writes unto us, the letter is from him which is, and which was, and which is to come. Yes the same IS one whom the prophet Michah writes “whose going forth have been from old, from everlasting” (Mic 5:2). Micah writes of him “which is” but the apostle writes of him also “… which was”, that is the man whom Isaiah remembers “hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isa 53:4) the entire chapter written in the past tense, yes this is he “which was”. But to know with certainty that a time yet future to John’s writing would the time when he which isand he which was would also be he which is to come, we have it here in Revelation by John, the beloved of the Lord.  He is the “faithful and true witness’, “the first begotten of the dead”, he is the “prince of all the kings of the earth”, yes, even those who today despise his reign can’t prevent his rule over them, Jesus Christ is “the prince of all the kings of the earth” and to him they owe their allegiance. But those kings are overthrown, because the Lord that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, …hathmade uskings and priestsunto God. Who could speak of this if it was not found in scripture? And is this our achievement?  It is Christ who lived and diedthat we might have life to the glory of the father. So necessarily it is to him

To Laodicea 30-12-2018 Pr Edi Giudetti The Contemporary Church The Ineffective Church The seventh and last Church both of Revelation and of History, demonstrates to us its willingness to adapt to the culture that surrounds it so well, that it is indistinguishable from its surroundings. The Laodicean Church is The contemporary Church, it is the church of its times and works with the time it lives in, and it perfectly describes the Church period we live in today.   The Laodicean Church did not only compromise with the culture of the day, it set its efforts in line with the culture of it’s day, it was contemporary, con-tempo, linked with the times. It thought its efforts were all of value and effective, but in the end, its effect had no value and was perfectly ineffective in doing the work the Lord would be pleased with.  Only CONDEMNATION and no COMMENDATION was given it in this letter.  The Laodicean Church, the Contemporary Church, is the only Church of the Seven that Jesus explicitly states he stands outside of and calls those who respond to his knocking to answer and invite him in.  THE WITNESS OF AN INEFFECTIVE WORK, BLINDED BY PROSPERITY, WHO STANDS OUTSIDE THE DOOR AND KNOCKS. The Witness of And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; Revelation 3:14 “The faithful and true witness” Laodicea: Of all the seven churches addressed in the apocalypse of John (the 2nd and 3rdChapters of Revelation), the Church of Laodicea receives the most condemning rebuke of them all. Within this Church there is not even a hint of a remnant, unlike the ‘few names even in Sardis which had not defiled their garments” Laodicea has none spoken of without defilement. Condemnations in the Bible, legal condemnations, are not to be given without the witness of two or three to establish the truth of the charges laid.  False witnesses were gathered against Jesus and even against Paul in the New Testament, these the Bible describes as “Sons of Belial”, that is, Sons of the devil in 1 Kings 21:10. That account speaks of two who would falsely witness and condemn Naboth to have him killed for the King to take his land unlawfully.  But Jesus is the faithful and true witness    In Christ dwelleth the fullness of the godhead bodilytells Paul in Colossians 2:9.  Jesus Christ is the completeness of the triune Godhead in physical form, he is “God manifest in the flesh”.  Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almightyand it is this Godhead, the witness of three, that draws witness to the Church of Laodicea. He is faithful, and he is true and when he witnesses against us we can know and not question the validity of his words. Have you ever read his letter, the Bible, and not been witnessed against? “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”Heb 4:12 This is the same Godhead that speaks to you and I, it is his letter to us, both for encouragement and exhortation, for rebuke and for comfort. Yet in just such a manner he writes to the Laodiceans, even though nothing good is found in them. These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; He is NOT “the beginning of Gods creation” as the ESV deceptively and satanically puts it, the phrase is not to be taken out of the context of the passage and distorted in order to create another version. It is not to be confused with the balance of the Bible. It astounds me to think how often the ignorant phrase that “no doctrine has been seriously affected by new versions” is repeated and believed. The ESV is becoming the GO-TO version of many independent Baptists today who’s desire it is to join the Church of Laodicea.

Pr Edi Giudetti Introduction What’s in a Name? We come to the sixth of the seven Churches of RevelationThe Sixth historical Church in which a letter written is given to present to the angel of the Church of Philedelphia.The Sixth Church in the physical circuit as taken from Patmos, where John was, through first to Ephesus, then Smyrna, Then Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis and now to Philadelphia before concluding in Laodicea. Philadelphia also representing the Sixth Church Period of history to date, a period dominated by the Gospel and missionary zeal around the worldthrough which we today remain the beneficiaries. The Philadelphian Church type followed the Reformation periodidentified by the Church of Sardis, where nothing good was reported by the Lord. It precedes the last Church period, that identified well by the Church of Laodiceawhere again, nothing good is spoken of by the Lord.Philadelphia also represents the Sixth type of Christian that may find himself in any of the types of Churches noted beforeAnd we will find in our final summary of the Seven Churches that, Philadelphia may be identified as the sixth stage a Christian might go through in his walk with the Lord. Each of these Churches are named in Scripture, and each have a name that identifies the type of Church they were (We will speak more to this in that summary Sermon in a couple of weeks).  Why are names so important in the Bible? We have come to understand that every name in history actually has significance. People were often named prophetically, named by their nature (Nebal = Fool), some desired their names to change in line with their circumstances (Naomi = My Bliss or Pleasantness desired her name changed to Marah = Bitter) Today we don’t name our Children names in accord with meaning but with that which is practical, traditional or pleasurable to the ear. The City of Philadelphia had several names, this was the first name. Today it has a new name and we will talk about that soon. Those who are born again are going to be given new names. The name you have now is that which you began life with and was given after your birth by those who gave you lifeand claimed you as their own. One day, that will change, a new name will be given youby the one who brought you into eternal life, who even now claims you as his own. Who is he?  He is the name above all namesthat was himself promised to come into this world to seek and to save that which is Lost.  He is the name most recognised this time of year particularly. His name is the name most loved in all the world most especially by those who have been saved from their sin through this same name.   The Name Apart From All Names 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;  Revelation 3:7 It is Jesus Christ that authors a letter to be given to the Church in Philadelphia. He was revealed first in Chapter one of Revelation.  It is The Revelation of Jesus Christ, it is the unveiling of Christ, also known as The Apocalypse Of Christ (Apocalypse means That which was hidden no revealed) And how indeed he reveals himself in the introduction of each letter to each Church and he does so here; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true. These two identifiersset Christ apart from all else that is not Holy and Not true. The words are given in a phrase that demonstrates distinction. These things saith he that is holy; The author wants the recipient of the Letter to know that the writer is not like those that surround him, the authorities of the City are not holy, the Emperors of the nation are not HOLY, the Dionysian gods worshipped in the Acropolis are NOT HOLY, but nor are they even TRUE. These things saith he that is holy, he that is true. Truth always denies error and Christ is True, he se