RLCF Sermons

The process of purifying always involves removal - of that which is impure - and that removal is often painful. The things that God asks us to give up, are the things that He will use to bring His triumph and authority into our lives. Paul's letters to Timothy were written toward the end of his life, as his "handing off the torch" to Timothy, the one co-worker he had who did not seek his own. The apostle who had the greatest amount of revelation on Christ and His Church summarizes the goal of the entire gospel as love from a pure heart. The reason you exist on earth is to further God's authority on earth by faith (I Timothy 1:4). Purity of heart is different from purity of the flesh and purity of mind. It is being focused on God alone. Make your goal love that will: 1. Seek Only the Face of God (Psalm 24): Have you seen that everything belongs to God (v1-2)? Are you broken and desperate for God like Jacob was (v4)? Are you tired of only asking God for His blessings (Psalm 24:5a)? Then ask Him for Himself - His very Divine Nature (Psalm 24:5b) - and you will never thirst again? 2. Find Satisfaction in God Alone (Psalm 73): Your circumstances don't determine who you are; who you are, however, does determine how you react to circumstances; such is the unshakeable life of one who has Christ living in Him; Have you experienced the deeper level of goodness that God shows to those who are pure in heart (Psalm 73:1)? If you have been tempted by the seeming problem-free life of sinners (v3), them come "home" (v17) and let God be all that you want (v25-27); The only "good life" is one in which God is near (v28). When a telescope is not focused, you can see many things, but they're all blurry. When you focus it on one thing, everything else vanishes from sight, but you can see the one thing clearly! Do you want to see God? Then purify the motives of your heart (Matthew 5:8). "But, folks, it's boiled down to one issue. One desire. It's more than wanting to be loved and appreciated, or the cheers and praises of Man. It's more than being comfortable and knowing that you're secure in your old age, you've got some retirement plan. That means nothing! It comes down to this one issue: I want to be like Jesus. I want to see His face and I want to be a reflection of who He is. Lord, when you said, 'Seek my face,' my heart said unto You, 'Thy face, Lord, will I seek.' That's the answer!" (David Wilkerson)

It's popular these days to talk about the "gospel" and yet most Christians do not know the full inheritance that God has given to them. The Gospel according to Paul (the book of Romans) is more complete than the four other New Testament Gospels because it includes the good news about the "greater works" of the Body of Christ that Jesus referred to in John 14:12. This is the premise of the gospel: Jesus was a born a Son of Man and was declared the Son of God; the same can be said about you and me (Romans 1:3-6). The obedience of faith is not the obedience of understanding nor is it blind obedience. It is the submission of the mind (will) to the spirit. The Complete Gospel as 7 Steps in the Obedience of Faith: Step #1: You are a sinner! - Chapter 1: worldly sinner (v18); Chapter 2: religious sinner (v27). Step #2: Redemption in Christ by faith - Chapter 3: forgiveness through Christ's propitiatory death and burial (v24-25); Chapter 4: justification through Christ's resurrection (v25); The reason so many Christians live glum, sour, boring, grumpy lives is that they do not really believe that they have been justified by Christ. Step #3: The new mindset of a new Man - Chapter 5: new attitude toward tribulation — as a means to our hope (v5); Chapter 6: new attitude toward sin — for freedom through the grace of God (v14). Step #4: True freedom from the power of sin - Chapter 7: sin still present as a result of bondage to the Law (v23); Chapter 8: sonship — freedom from sin through the life of Christ in me (v1,14); The Christian life is the most "natural" life for one who is born of God — because it is not me trying to imitate Christ, but Christ (in me) being Himself. Step #5: The faithfulness of a righteous God who is sovereign - The Devil is in the business of trying to make a mess out of those things that God has brought back into order. He does this by questioning: Chapter 9: God’s sovereignty in all His dealings; Chapter 10: God's righteousness in judging sin; One of the greatest misconceptions about God is that He is too loving to be righteous. The reality is that He is fully loving and fully righteous. Chapter 11: God's faithfulness to His word. Step #6: The Body of Christ and Submission - Chapter 12: submission to God in our body (v1); Chapter 12: submission in the Body of Christ (v4-5); The gospel that does not preach the Body of Christ and loving the brother and sister whom you see, is an incomplete gospel. Chapter 13: submission to earthly authority (v8); Chapter 14: submission to those who hold different convictions from us (v1); Chapter 15: submission unity of vision and voice (v6-7); Most people would rather hear the gospel set in the context of emotional music than set in the context of the call to give up your will! "But drops of grief will ne’er repay the debt of love I owe. Here, Lord, I give my self away! ‘Tis all that I can do." The secret of experiencing the resurrection power of Christ in every situation in our lives is in saying, "Father into YOUR hands I commend my spirit." Step #7: Defeating the Enemy - Chapter 16: the obedient church, consisting of members living with a clear conscience toward God and toward Man; God crushes Satan under the feet of the Body of Christ. If the gospel you heard allows you to keep your "whats-in-it-for-me" mentality, you haven't heard the full gospel. To receive the full gospel you must only be thinking about what benefit God will get out of your life. Do you want the Romans 16:20 type of authority over Satan in your life? Then live out the Romans 12-15 type of submission toward God and His delegated authority on earth. May God put a hunger in our hearts to experience the FULL gospel.

Satan attacks the Obedient Church because he knows that God crushes him under the feet of such a church (Romans 16:1-20). What do people notice when they visit your church? Do they notice your loyalty and obedience to Jesus (Romans 16:19)? The marks of an obedient church are that it consists of: godly women like Phoebe, Mary, and Persis, who were servants of the church and helpers of many; godly women like Rufus’ mother, who was a mother to the apostle Paul; godly couples like Prisca and Aquila who risked their lives for the sake of the gospel and partnered in building the church (Romans 16:3-5), and were well-versed in God’s Word and the doctrine (Acts 18:26); many who can be called beloved, fellow prisoners, outstanding, fellow-workers in the Lord, approved in Christ, and choice in the Lord (Romans 16:5-13). Sadly, many Christians, who themselves will be saved, will send their life's work on the conveyor belt and into the furnace at the Judgment seat of Christ, only to find it all get burned up (I Corinthians 3:12-15). Satan believes in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" principle of warfare (Romans 16:17-18). So, he attacks the Obedient Church by sending into its midst people who: cause divisions; cause others to stumble; teach things contrary to the whole counsel of God; seek their own gain - financial, emotional, in sympathy, etc.; flatter the unsuspecting in order to deceive them. To combat this we should: value unity in the Spirit in the brotherhood; stay away from those who sow stumbling thoughts; fill your mind with what is good and reject what is evil; don’t be unsuspecting; beware of those who flatter. There is an unhealthy lust in our flesh to want to hear an evil report. The first promise that God gave mankind after the Fall was that He would crush Satan under our feet (Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20). The purpose of a church being the Body of Christ is so that the Head (Christ) crushes Satan under our feet. The only way that Satan can be crushed under our feet is if we are partners with the God of peace - by living at peace with God and with others as far as it lies with us. Let this be our church mission statement: “The God of peace is crushing Satan under our feet.”

Jesus went to the Cross first out of love for the Father, and only then out of love for us because the Father commanded Him to (John 14:31). This bi-directional love can be represented by the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross (Matthew 22:35-39). The vertical beam of our cross is seen only by God in secret, because it involves the heart, mind, and soul. God has intended it this way, to see who are the ones who really fear Him alone. The horizontal beam of the cross is what identifies us outwardly as followers of Jesus (John 13:35). A beam by itself is no cross. The cross at Calvary was only the last of over 12000 (365days * 33.5years) crosses that Jesus carried (Luke 9:23). The Church today is comprised of disciples (cross-bearers) who follow Jesus in saying, “I don't do what I want, but only what God wants.” The Congregation is simply a large gathering of vertical beams, for whom the Cross has done nothing new. Their relationship with God is only external and on the basis of the Old Covenant. The Church is the Body of Christ comprised of disciples whose relationship with God is on the basis of the New Covenant. If you haven’t hidden your devotion to God, you haven’t understood the New Covenant (Matthew 6:1-18). Uniformity in the body or the soul can be knit by human means. Church unity comes when “the two become one in spirit” (Ephesians 4:3), which is something only the Holy Spirit can knit among disciples who have surrendered their will to God (Colossians 2:2). In daily situations when I give up my will, I am filled me with the spirit of Christ by fellowship in His sufferings. The more I walk this way, the more my heart is knit together in fellowship with others who have the same spirit. Unity in the Body does not come from glueing organs together, but from the same blood flowing through all of them from the Head. The Club is built out of love for others, driven by human compassion and care. Relationship with God is on the basis of no covenant, so personal devotion to God is absent, or minimal. In the Club, it doesn’t matter how tall the vertical beam is, as long as the horizontal beam is sufficiently long. In the Club, the emphasis is only on more activity and more time spent together, but this does not breed fellowship. The members of a “Club”: try to find their security in man and membership, not in God; get offended when corrected; expect others to pamper them; experience no spiritual growth year by year, and slowly backslide. The most religious thing you can do is build a house for God based on good preaching; the most spiritual thing you can do is build God¡¯s house based on obeying His Word (Matthew 7:24-27). The wise man and the foolish man both listened to the same sermons. The difference was that the wise man decided to take his secret life before God seriously, and the foolish man didn’t. The foolish man’s house is a mansion, but its fall is just as great (Matthew 7:27). The Club is a gathering of convenience. The Church is a uniting of fellowship n Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10).

One of the areas in which Jesus is an example to us is as a priest (Hebrews 6:20). Paul was effective for God because he realized this (Romans 15:16). God showed us His kindness by choosing us as priests to serve Him continually (I Peter 2:3-9) – through our individual lives, in our marriages and homes, and in the church. A faithful priest daily seeks to present an offering to God without any defect. The priests ministry is first toward God, in being cleansed and sanctified: In the Old Covenant this meant making sure they wore holy garments (Exodus 28:42-43); In the New Covenant this means making sure that when we serve as priests on earth we are cleansed from things like malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and slander (I Peter 2:1). The priests ministry is then toward mankind in: having a heart full of goodness (Romans 15:14); being filled with knowledge (Romans 15:14) by being immersed in the Word so that we are continuing to grow (I Peter 2:2); admonishing, counseling, and instructing others (Romans 15:14); receiving grace from God (Romans 15:15) by: walking in humility (I Peter 5:5); becoming like all of our brothers (Hebrews 2:17, 5:1-5); sympathizing with the weaknesses of others (Hebrew 4:15); getting our hands dirty in the atoning work of others. The two verses of the new song that we will sing in heaven are (Revelation 5:1-14): 1. Jesus is worthy because He purchased us with His blood; 2. We who are purchased have become priests to God.

If you think that the pillars in the church are those who do the outward ministry, that’s Old Covenant thinking. The New Covenant calls all of us to be priests in God’s house. Most churches are content with large numbers of people just “being there.” God is not! The Christian life is more than just warming a pew. The proof that you are a strong Christian is that you bear the weakness of those who are weak. God has his “stud finder” out in churches today, looking for those who will be strong supports in His Church. Pillars are different from decorations in their permanency. Which are you, in God’s house? Do you have an earthly need in your life? Be a pillar in God’s church and see if He won’t add all the things that you need in your life (Matthew 6:33). 1. Disciplined by Inner Principles not Outward Things in Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit: Most Christians would be more worried about cancer in their physical bodies than about cancers in their motives, thoughts, words, and deeds. The characteristic of the Devil and the world is unrest. The characteristic of God and the Church is rest (Hebrews 4:1). God is the most unpopular person in history. But He never pays attention to popularity ratings. When you’re in a difficult trial, just remember that you’re only visiting there for a short time (I Corinthians 10:13). The secret to peace is to keep your mind fixed millions of miles above the earth (Isaiah 26:3), because then you realize how small your problems are from God’s perspective. Most Christians are living by the opposite of Philippians 4:4: “Make money always; again I say make money.” 2. Devoted to building harmony: Find things in common with others, not things that divide. Bear with the weaknesses of others. 3. Dedicated in service: A servant doesn’t seek his own good but the good of the one he’s serving. To be a “minister” (servant) is to follows the perfect example of the Minister of Ministers in washing the feet of others. The way we give hope to others is through persevering in encouraging them. An amazing thing happens when you take a break from your own spiritual garden to water your neighbor’s: God sends rain (Proverbs 11:25). The strongest person in a church is the one who is willing to do whatever nobody else wants to do, for the building up of the Church! If you want to know God in the intimacy of His secret Name, be an overcomer who is a pillar in the Church (Revelation 3;12).

Things will degenerate pretty quickly when we try to be like God in “knowing”. Just look at Adam and Eve and their children (Genesis 3:5). Trying to figure out what God is doing with you is as pointless as your phone trying to figure out what your doing with it (Isaiah 55:8-9). The next time you listen to a sermon or spend time in prayer, ask yourself whether you know God better as a result, or whether He knows you better. Most debates about doctrine are merely the exchange of hot air among puffed-up balloons (I Corinthians 8:1-3). Unfortunately many churches are simply a uniform stack of such balloons; the Devil doesn’t even have to bring all his forces against such a church to defeat it. The true church of Jesus is built with bricks that are united together, and all the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). God has allowed non-essentials to be vague to differentiate the bricks who build up from the balloons who are puffed up. Only God can tell others whether they’re right or wrong (Romans 14:4). So, if you really think someone should change their convictions, pray about it and never say a word to them. If God really wants them to change their conviction, He will reveal it to them. That other person’s holding to a different conviction will not send him to hell. But your judging him will send YOU there (I Corinthians 11:31; Matthew 7:1)! The secret to judging righteously as Jesus did, is to be known by God, because God reveals His knowledge to us. If you succeed in convincing someone else to change their conviction when God has not given them the faith for it, you will have caused them to sin (Romans 14:22-23)!

Darkness has a cozy feeling about it; no wonder the world loves darkness more than the light. To love amid a world full of hate is to be awake in the middle of the dark night. If you don't love your brother, then you're only dreaming the Christian life that you think you're living (I John 2:9-11). One type of "talent" that God has given us is people whom he asks us to love - beginning with your spouse at home; many people refuse to love, calling God hard and exacting; God will reply, "You wicked, lazy slave!" (Matthew 25:24-26). For a husband to truly love his wife as Christ loves the Church, he must always be looking at Christ to imitate him. The real YOU is living in a shell, and one day you will leave your shell behind (I Corinthians 7:29-31). Christ’s return will be like a trap to many Christians because the Devil lulled them to sleep with the spirit of: dissipation and drunkenness; sensuality and sexual promiscuity; strife and jealousy; the worries of life. Having faith is being spiritually awake (Romans 1:17). Its opposite - worry, its opposite - is being spiritually asleep. Are you living in this world as if you do not make full use of it? The Devil will take the sin that you have fallen into and turn into double trouble by allowing you to get discouraged over it. Have faith and don't give up! The Devil has cleverly blunted the sword (the Word of God) for many Christians by captivating them with things like politics, entertainment, sports, etc. The same Bible that promises that things will get bad in the end times, also promises that we need not worry at all! It is to help keep each other awake that we fellowship in the Church as Christ's Body (Hebrews 10:23-26).

God cares about the complete preservation of your soul, as much as your spirit and body (I Thessalonians 5:23). And that happens by your “losing” your soul back into complete dependence on Him. The sin that you commit is not the problem. The problem is the independent over-development of your soul, which leads you into sin. You cannot maintain a healthy balance of the life of Christ and the life of “You”. “You” needs to die. The next time you see a crucifix, see “You” on it. Year by year you should be increasingly losing more of “You”, so that when Christ returns there will be none of “You” left. Then you will be completely like Him (I John 3:2-3). The message of death to Self will sound morbid and depressing to you if you aren’t sick of your “Self” and its choices. Otherwise, it’s the best possible news! You will always win a fight with a dead man. That ought to be how it is when people try to pick a fight with you! When you’re in a conflict, remember that the “pride” that the other person is trying to steal from you is the pride that you’re trying to lose anyway. So give it up! Your soul is manifested in: 1. Where your treasure is; 2. Whom you are attached to; 3. Whose interests you seek; 4. What empowers your life. In the 2 great disasters (the global flood and the fire over Sodom), what God judged was not specifically the sin, but the soul exalting itself in everyday activities (Luke 17:27-28). If you have “found” your soul in your relationship with your family or friends or others in the Church, you will lose it (Matthew 10:37-39). Despite how socially connected the world is today, people are still just as lonely. That’s because they are all “connected” individuals. Many churches, likewise, are merely congregations of grains of wheat neatly lined up in pews. The Body of Christ is bread made up of grains of wheat that have fallen into the ground and died. Self-preservation is the spirit of Satan (Mark 8:31-33). You hinder the power of the life of the Spirit when you confine it within the strengths or limitations of your soul (John 12:24-25). A naturally shy soul is just as much of a hindrance to the life of Christ as a naturally bold soul — both must fall into the ground and die. So, stop using your natural temperament as an excuse! The reason that so many are not filled with the Holy Spirit is because there’s no room for Him alongside the enlarged soul that has not been “lost”! The resurrection of your soul happens now, when you take up your cross daily. And our resurrected soul is not hindered by the strengths or limitations it had before its “death”, any more than our resurrected body will not be hindered by the strengths or limitations it had before it died. That’s the power of resurrection! At the end of your life you will either have been a “living soul” or a “life-giving spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45). Which will it be?

Are you the Bride of Christ or merely the best man? The difference shows in how much joy you have in your life (John 3:29). Grace is spiritual Credit. Mammon is spiritual Debit. Did you make more money than you received grace this year? Then your spiritual bank account is in the red. Grace is the highest denomination in God’s currency and is a gift given only to those who are humble toward each other. You know you’ve received grace when you become a greater slave to God than you were to sin. Giving is spiritual Credit. Receiving is spiritual Debit. (Acts 20:35) Did you receive more love, mercy, and prayer, than you gave them this year? Then your spiritual bank account is in the red. God’s Thoughts are spiritual Credit. Your Ideas are spiritual Debit. Did you make choices this year more out of your own ideas than from God’s thoughts? Then your spiritual bank account is in the red. Did you get a new way of thinking when you came to Jesus? If not you have a counterfeit “Jesus”! Your character at the end of this year was determined by the choices you made throughout the year, which in turn was determined by your mindset — that which your mind was set on.