The Open Word (Audio)

We are living in an age of darkness. Good is called evil and evil is called good. We're considered intolerant if we express any sort of disagreement about evil. Not being fully supportive of other people's sin makes us a bulls eye for the world. Pastor David wants to encourage us to stay strong. If we prepare ourselves with the full armor of God, we can make it through. This doesn't mean that we'll come through unscathed, but keeping eternity in perspective makes the fight totally worth it!

Have you ever had a trial that you thought you wouldn't make it through? Or maybe you even asked, why God? Now that you're through it, are you thankful for it? That's not to say it's anything you'd ever want to go through again, but as Pastor David points out, we grow through it! The Lord allows that which He hates to accomplish that which He loves. He doesn't enjoy us being in or going through trials. However, He will allow it so that we can learn and grow from the experience. Lord let us be fast learners!

There are many gods with a little g out there today. People will try to worship just about anything it seems. What Pastor David is teaching us today through Revelation is about God with a capital G. Jesus, the Christ, is the only God Who has ever risen from the dead. The rest of the gods that people worship or idolize died, and they stayed dead. That doesn't seem very god like, now does it? We would be wise to take account of anything that we may put above Jesus in our lives. He's the only God!

There are tons of worldly counselors out there today. They charge buckets of money to listen to people's issues, and try to help them work through it. Pastor David is reminding us that they're all missing something, Christ! Without Jesus, no amount of counseling or self help is going to bring peace. We all need Jesus as our anchor. Once we are steady because of our Lord, we can begin to find peace and joy in troubled waters. He is the only way any of us will know true happiness in our lives.

As we're learning about the churches in Revelation, we're warned to not be superficial. It's common these days for churches not to be too deep. They don't want to teach anything that might offend their congregation. They keep it simple, only speaking of the benefits of Christianity. Pastor David wants us to have depth! He encourages us to read our Bible and pray everyday. We should rightly divide the Word of God and seek to know the whole truth. We're going to be held accountable one day!

It's pretty easy to read the Bible and compare ourselves with the titans of faith that the stories contain. Maybe we even think there's no way we could ever have that kind of faith. Pastor David wants to encourage us that we can! We need only the faith of a mustard seed to be used by the Lord. He can work with what little we have to offer. A great prayer during a time of testing would be, Lord I believe, help my unbelief! Strong faith is something that we all could use an extra dose of each day!

Have you ever turned a flashlight on during the brightness of the day, and it seems useless? On the contrary, have you ever had a flashlight shine in your eyes when it's really dark outside? It seems ultra bright, doesn't it? Pastor David is likening this to the Light of the World. Jesus is that brilliant light that shines in the darkest place. Our world grows darker with each generation. Good is called evil, and evil is called good. Praise God that He doesn't decide our eternal fate based on those around us!

Do you ever take the time to consider what Jesus went through on the cross for us? We are wretched sinners, and while we were still in our sin, He made the ultimate sacrifice. We are like a soiled garment with stains that will never come out with our own efforts. Then, as Pastor David reminds us, Jesus makes us white as snow. We become cleaner than we've ever been. The impossible stains are gone and we are fresh and new. And on top of that, even when we do mess us, we're new every morning.

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to exercise patience? Maybe you were long suffering through a thorn in your flesh, or you were waiting on a yes or no answer about a prospective spouse. Whatever the case may be, Pastor David wants to encourage us to continue to wait on the Lord. God's timing and will for our lives is better than anything we could want for ourselves. He's the better judge of what we should be doing, so we need to hold on and be still until we're through it.

The Trinity is confusing to some people. They wonder how Jesus can be God and the Son at the same time. Consider your mom. She's your mom, as well as someone's daughter, sister, friend, wife, employee, and neighbor. She is one person, yet all of those titles at the same time. Pastor David touches on us recognizing the deity of Christ today. We need to remember Jesus saves. We need only to come to Him. Once we do, He doesn't leave us alone, He sends us a Helper to be with us.