Sermon in Phoenix 28.10.2012

Let us begin our service this evening, joining together in opening prayer and thanksgiving. Holy and righteous God, our beloved Heavenly Father, this evening as we gather together around your holy and precious Word, Lord, we thank you, dear Father, for the many blessings and gifts that you've granted unto us on this day of grace.

We have been mindful of the many blessings that you've granted to your children. You have given to us the needs of this temporal journey. You have provided for us food and clothing. You have given to us homes and families, those loving friends and escorts as we journey homeward. But, dear Father, more than this, you've granted unto us the blessings of your kingdom. You've revealed unto us, through the eyes of living faith, the way that leads to our destination there, the glory of heaven.

So this evening, dear Father, as we gather together around your holy Word, we pray now for your service blessing. That you will bless us according to thy holy and righteous will. You, dear Father, know the hearts of your children. And you can see of those needs that we this evening have. So we humbly ask that you would feed, guide, and lead according to thy holy and righteous will. We ask it all, dear Father, in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Before I read a text this evening for our mutual study of God's Word, I would bring and do bring greetings to you, brothers and sisters here gathered from my most recent trip to Minnesota. I was there this weekend in Minneapolis for the LLC board meeting. We had that meeting yesterday. And I was also able to go to a few weddings Friday and Saturday evening. For those I'm sure most of you would know, Jenny and Dan, now Lati, and also last night, Yuka and Rochelle's wedding there in Rockford.

There were so many friends, brothers and sisters in faith gathered there at those weddings that wanted their greetings sent to you brothers and sisters here. We were able to experience, again, the loving and guiding hand of our Heavenly Father. How He was able to join the hearts of these two young together through His Word.

But also, the board meeting yesterday was a blessed meeting. God helped us there and protected us. He gave us all a mutual understanding and the unity of the Spirit and love. We were able to discuss, of course, around the mutual concerns that we are facing in the day that we're living. We realize fully that the enemy of souls is not idle, but it feels as if the enemy has but short time and it is so as the Apostle Peter writes that he is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.

But we were also able to experience there in that mutual discussion the very powerful guiding hand that has come from the hand and heart of the Heavenly Father for His children. We are kept in a very good and secure place. Despite the attacks of the enemy, God continues to bless.

We, there at that meeting, found out that there are now over 100 speakers in North American Christianity. This is the first time, perhaps ever, that there have been so many speaker brothers in North America. We would have to say that God knows the needs of His children. He knows the needs of His work. He knows the needs of His kingdom here upon earth. He is preparing us. He is allowing the tools to be sharpened for the days ahead in the battle, but also in the care for His flock.

We are also there informed that now there is a new congregation in the U.S., Monticello, there in Minneapolis area, is officially organized as a group and by all accounts as they now make plans to be recognized and organized by the first of the year. There will be, in the beginning, around 100 members and 250 children in that congregation starting there in Monticello.

We rejoice and we feel how God has guided and directed His work so beautifully. We have many reasons, even this evening, for joy.

I thought I would read for our mutual discussion this evening. And I wasn't here earlier, so I'm not sure if one of the brothers would have spoke from this text. It is one of the texts that has been reserved for this day. But, we would trust that God, nonetheless, would be the one who would give words according to His will.

They are found in the 10th chapter of Romans, beginning with the 12th verse, where the Apostle wrote, For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all of the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is according to God's word and the teaching of God's kingdom as it is also written in the book of Acts that God's word will go before the end of time into the uttermost places in this world. And that word will go to seek to find those who may be seeking for a righteous and loving Father.

Today, we are living that kind of day. That kind of day when we recognize and see that kind of work that God has granted into His kingdom so that His word now is being preached in many nations of people throughout the world in many different countries and continents.

When we hear reports of that work that's being done, it brings great joy into the hearts of us, His children. For we are comforted by this knowledge and understanding that God has promised with His word to call, to gather, to select, to choose those whom He calls, those whom He chooses.

In this same book of Romans, the apostle writes of this selection, when we read of that selection that God has, we realize that it is God's choosing, it is God's calling, it is God's gift. It is nothing that we have been able to do, there is nothing that we have been able to accomplish, there is nothing that we can offer of our own that would merit salvation, but it is a grace gift from the hand of the Heavenly Father.

We spoke of that this weekend also at our meeting when we discussed the foreign mission work, not only the foreign mission work, but also domestically how God is blessing and allowing His Word to go into those places to search and to find those who are seeking.

We live in that kind of day where souls are being added into the flock of God's children. It is yet a time of work, is the day of work.

And it was interesting in one of the discussions over this weekend, and you brothers and sisters with me have heard of those kinds of difficulties, and we also received greetings there at that meeting from our brother Alpo, who was here recently in services. And he spoke of the work that's being done there in Finland, but also of the difficulties that those brothers and sisters faced there in this day.

How the world and the media has very directly attacked the teaching of God's Word, the teaching of God's Kingdom, brought into question the understanding of the believers.

It wasn't Alpo, but it was another brother who spoke of a recent experience from the old country. And it was spoken in this way how there was a reporter type. I'm not exactly sure if it was a reporter or exactly who this individual was, but it seemed, and I remember him being from the media, and he had heard in the media of all of the accusations that were coming against the believers, how they believed, and what their services were like, and how the believers were held in subjection, and there was rules made, and the people were suppressed, there was no freedom there.

There was accusations that had been so clearly even against the SRK. And so this media person wanted to go for himself to see. And he went to one of the congregations there in southern Finland, and as he witnessed that which was going on there, he said, this isn't at all what I expected to see.

But what he witnessed was God's kingdom. A kingdom that is founded on God's Word, God's Word, and we know God's word is spoken, but also grace and forgiveness. And there at those services, this man was granted the grace of repentance.

Repentance.

We see how God, even in the midst of these kinds of difficulties, still knows the hearts of those who seek Him, and how they have been called and protected, and granted that grace to belief.

So it also is for us today. There are those kinds of accusations even coming against the work and teaching of God's kingdom here in the States. But yet, God is protected. And we see what's happening. And we see how God is allowing the teaching of His Word and the joy of believing, and how God's children are gathering closer and closer together.

It's the same even in the wild when a flock of sheep might be attacked by some enemy, whether it would be a wolf or something that would be a predator of that sheep. Those sheep gather closer and closer together.

And the book of Hebrews says that as you see the day approaching, gather all the more together. And we're seeing also how this has taken place, how God's children are there gathering, visiting and discussing around the work of the kingdom.

We see how God is blessing us with those additional servants. We see how God is giving us this opportunity and time to work. God is protecting and caring for His children.

We have such a time of work and such a time of joy even in the work.

And so we also see in this text this same kind of ageless teaching and instruction. First of all, the Apostle says that there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.

Throughout the Apostle's day, when there were those souls being added, there were those Jews and Gentiles. The time of work was going forth at a pace that I'm sure, well, there are those days and times of visitation. And it was so during the time of the Apostle.

We know from the book of Acts how during that time of preaching, during that time of instruction, during that time when God's Word was revealed into those congregations, those new congregations, how many hundreds and thousands of souls were added to the work.

What we also see in that day, that the same kind of battle that we're facing today. One of the battles that we face today is the carnal reason and mind of man. But it wasn't also similar to the same during the time of the Apostle.

When we read from that time when he was in Athens, there on Mars Hill, and he discussed the teaching of God's Word with those philosophers of their day, the Stoics and the Epicureans. And he discussed this foolish faith to them. They could not understand or possibly believe.

Is it different today? We have that time of visitation also where God is sending His Word into those kinds of places where He knows there are those souls who are searching to find God's kingdom.

But we are also facing this same kind of battle that the Apostle also experienced. Faith comes by hearing. And through that discussion and teaching and preaching of Paul and the other Apostles, they were able to believe and also live by grace through faith.

And we can only imagine what that must have been for the Apostle when he was discussing and visiting with those philosophers of his day. His flesh being what it was would be no different than ours. None of us like to be called foolish or unwise.

But I'm sure, in fact, they called him some babbler. They called the Apostle Paul a babbler. They would have made mockery and foolishness of his preaching and teaching.

We can read then from the first part of the Apostle's epistle to the Corinthians. He went to Corinth shortly after this discussion that he had there with those philosophers. And when he got there, and he writes in that book of Corinthians, he asked these questions.

Or he said, for the preaching of the cross to them that perish is foolishness. But unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Then he asked this question, where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

And then in the second chapter he says, Brethren, when I came to you, I came not with the excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

And I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

And this is what the apostle spoke. He spoke of that work of which Christ has done for us.

And this is also then, is what our text here, the apostle writes in Romans. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

But then he asked this question, and this is one part where the righteous of this world often get lost. That whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And they will also quote from John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe upon him shall not die, but have everlasting life.

But the apostle continues that thought further. He says, how then shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

So we start to see here how the apostle establishes again and reiterates and reinforces the grace order of God's kingdom.

It is true that whosoever believeth upon him shall be saved. But how shall they believe upon him except they hear?

Those on the outside of God's kingdom, those who are in this world have not heard. They do not know. They think they might know, but they surely do not know, for they have not heard.

Faith cometh by hearing. And in no other way.

Now I suppose we could ask this question that how does a deaf person hear? Can they believe if they cannot hear?

Hearing is not just hearing with the ears. There are many people that hear, but do not hear. The ears are only the beginning of the, when the word approaches a man. The words go into our ears and ultimately into our heart.

We can also, for those who are not able to hear, they can also believe. They can believe through the written word, through the spoken word, and the spoken word for them is different than it is for us.

For those who have been born deaf, and they learn sign language, they learn braille, they can read with braille, and they can read lips. This becomes their mother tongue.

There are those now in our day who have had those transplants where they can start to hear. But I find it interesting that those who are without hearing from birth, and they have learned sign language and to read lips, that is their mother tongue.

And they more readily understand deeper and better through that type of hearing than they do through that new hearing that they received second to what they heard as a child.

I have a nephew who would rather, in discussing more in-depth matters, be able to read your lips and have sign language than to hear it now through his new hearing transmitter.

So they can hear, and surely they can believe. But their hearing is different than ours.

So they can hear and they believe, because their heart is receptive to that which God has given to them.

So, no matter how we hear, faith cometh by hearing.

So then he continues, how then shall they believe in whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent?

God's word is sent from heart to heart, from faith to faith, from child of God to child of God. This is how his word goes from generation to generation, through the preaching of the word.

And this preaching of the word for the child of God is a great joy and a blessing. The preaching of the gospel and the gospel being believed is the source and power of our strength.

Recently, there was a dear sister who was granted the grace of repentance from the world. She was born, raised in a believing home, but she gave in to the teachings and the whisperings of the enemy of souls. And she denied her faith and lived for a while in the world.

And she recently said, when I was there in the world, I was happy. But she says, there was not joy.

And I thought about this. And when we think about this, there's a big difference between being happy and having a heart of joy.

Last evening, brothers and sisters, if you could have been there, at the Rockford Church, at that wedding, there was over 500 guests, adult voices, and when they sang those wedding songs, that was joy.

There was joy that springs from believing. There was joy that springs forth from that knowledge and that joy that this is God's kingdom.

And there was joy that comes from this, that two young believers are being joined together as husband and wife.

But the greatest joy was this, that the sin debt of the child of God has been paid. And we are God's own.

When there's faith in the heart, and when there's a conscience that is free from sin, that's joy. That's the blessing of believing.

Today, the services this morning we heard that when a person receives the power to believe, there's three kinds of joy, three places of joy.

First of all, that one who has been granted the grace to believe, their sin forgiven, they have joy. But so also does the congregation rejoice when one has been able to believe.

So there is joy also here on earth amongst God's children. But there's also joy in heaven. The angels rejoice when there are those who have been able to be freed from the burden of sin.

And this, brothers and sisters, is that which God has entrusted to us.

And as here the apostle says, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

Peace.

How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.

The escorts in God's kingdom, the brothers and sisters in faith, are those kinds of messengers that bring that message from heaven, that dear travel friend, do not be burdened, do not be troubled, do not wear or carry that sin, but believe sin is forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus.

And joy springs forth from such preaching.

Isn't this the message and the very central message and teaching of God's word? The joy that comes through believing.

One young person recently commented and said in this way, because we have also heard these kinds of accusations and these kinds of things spoken about God's kingdom. That kingdom is just a kingdom of do's and don'ts, of rules, of regulations. There is no freedom there.

But this young person said the only time that she felt, that there were rules or that there were those kinds of feelings of suppression was when she carried sin on her conscience.

But when sins were washed away, it is not difficult to believe.

How has it been for you, brothers and sisters? Has it been difficult for you to believe when you've had a conscience that is free from sin?

God, it has been such a joyful time when we can rejoice that today my sins are forgiven, I am on the way to heaven, I am one of God's own children.

Is there a greater gift? Is there a greater blessing? Is there a greater purpose even for us here in this life?

The enemy of souls would rather paint these kinds of pictures.

Believers.

And of course, he wants us, especially as young believers, he would want us to look at those things that our flesh would desire to do.

Our flesh is that kind of flesh that would always want to go the way of the ungodly. Our flesh is that kind that would always want to live in sin.

And that flesh is a constant travel companion with us.

The apostle prayed that this flesh would be removed. It wasn't. But rather, God said, I will allow that thorn in your flesh to remain. A messenger of Satan, he called it.

So that the excellency then is of God and not of man.

So that we have always burning deep within our hearts that desire to one day leave this sin corrupt portion. To leave this sinful flesh and blood here in this corrupt world.

And our hearts would be taken there to the glory of heaven.

This is the ache and the desire that a child of God has burning deep within his heart.

This is of which the apostle here speaks. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

But then he also continues, but they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who hath believed that report?

So if there are those who have not been able to believe, is it God's word that is wrong? Or is it the teaching of God's kingdom that is wrong? Or is it the understanding of God's kingdom that is in error?

It is none of those.

But when one hasn't been able to believe, it is the work of the enemy.

How the enemy takes our own corrupt flesh and whatever it is, whatever it may be, he takes that and uses our own corruption as his tools to battle against that new man that is in us.

Brothers and sisters, we know of that battle intimately. But we also understand the no.

Even here the apostle says, for they have not all obeyed the gospel. And Lord, who has believed our report?

So then he continues and says, so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

May it be this evening, brothers and sisters, that we always are able to hear, that voice of the Good Shepherd.

May it be that God gives us those kinds of ears, that kind of heart that is able to distinguish between the call of the enemy and the call of the heavenly father.

The call of the heavenly father is this kind of call. That dear child of God puts in a way, follow after peace, righteousness and joy.

The voice of the enemy is to give that up in place of the desires and sins of this world.

We know, according to God's word, that when we leave this life, there must be faith in the heart to be received and accepted there in the glory of heaven.

Faith is required. And after we pass from this life, it is too late to make any kind of changes and adjustments to that which has taken place here in this life.

It is according to God's word.

So, faith is important. Faith is essential. Faith is of the utmost.

And what is faith? The apostle writes in the book of Hebrews that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It is believing in those things which we cannot see or feel or touch with our hands.

But faith is hearing the voice of the heavenly father. We hear with our heart that message that comes from God's kingdom.

God's evening, dear brothers and sisters, it pays to believe. Heaven waits. Eternal life and glory waits.

Is it worth the endeavor and the battle? Isn't it so much greater to consider the ultimate and eternal joy there in glory?

When we consider in the book of Hebrews also, those many former saints who endeavored by faith, they forsook the things of this world, they battled and they spoke and they preached.

They endeavored day by day, putting step ahead of another step. They knew that a much better place waited for them.

And how did they know? Faith is like a telescope. When we look through a telescope, we can see things that are far off that we cannot see with our eyes.

Through faith we can see of those things that wait there in the glory of heaven.

And that namely is this, and according to God's word, there in heaven, God himself will wipe away the last tear from our eye.

We will be received in glory and we will there be cared for him, cared for by him in eternity.

This is that which waits for us.

So this evening remain, believing as you find yourself endeavoring, faulty and weak and doubting and fearful and sinful, all of that, because you're one of God's own.

You would be the first believer if you were the first perfect believer. There is no perfect believers in and of themselves, but they are perfect through the merit work of Christ.

This evening, believe upon that promise that God is reserved for all of us. Your sins are all forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus.

And can I also this evening hear that same gospel from my own many doubts and sins. I want to believe with each of you. In Jesus' name, Amen.