2-- Did I Really Hear What I Thought I Heard

Did I Really Hear What I Thought I Heard? (by Bill Stevenson, July 12, 2008) Recently I heard part of the final sermon of an SDA conference that shocked me. The preacher was emphasizing that true Christian sanctification was by faith and not doing. He said that sanctification doesn’t make one more saved. He said that if the thief on the cross who got saved by Jesus would have been freed and done a lot of Bible study and evangelizing, he would not have become more saved. The last two sentences are correct, but Christian Salvation and Christian Sanctification are different things, the former comes before the latter. But this preacher was indicating in almost everything he said that Sanctification is automatic. All we have to do is remind God what He said in the Bible like Jacob did in his special wrestling match. (Genesis 32:24-30) The preacher even said we should also wrestle with God and not let go until He does our sanctification. He also said that we should only use what he termed “the living Word of God” and used the passage about when the devil challenged Jesus before He began His Earthly ministry. The preacher also said that Satan has entrapped most Christians in believing false teaching about sanctification. He challenged the audience “to escape from Satan’s concentration camp of living by righteous works (thinking and doing)”. He said that they just have to have “Biblical faith in God’s love, forgiveness, and every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” I don’t know if he had spoken in a previous meeting about the gift of prophecy and if he had been indicating that we don’t have to read and study the written Word of God, but the way he was talking he sounded like he had been teaching that charismatic doctrine for adding to Scripture. Also he said that they should stop making fun of the Israelites. I was so very shocked by that time of his message. And then he asked the large audience to respond to his teaching: (1) to come forward, (2) to confess their unbelief in God’s love and forgiveness, (3) to begin just believing that God would do the sanctification He promised, and (4) to not “release hold on Him until He gives it”. He claimed that the “Biblical faith living” was the only way to survive the Great Tribulation. I was stunned when it seemed that almost all in the audience went forward. He had been tactfully speaking as if anything contrary to his many statements about Biblical faith were obviously wrong, but he only used two verses out of context and misused three Scripture passages. His style reminded me of some famous Charismatic TV preachers and one mega church preacher I have seen on TV. This happening that I had witnessed just shows what happens when church attendees don’t know enough of the Bible to discern wrong statements. The same reason is why Obama and McCain won the nominations of their political parties in the recent Presidential campaign. True Christianity needs to be lived and shared much more by the true Christians because apparently we are in the end of the Age of Grace. True Christians desire to daily want to become more like Jesus Christ, but this apparently is a rarity. There is a Bible verse that says that even some of the elect will be deceived in “the Last Days”, and there will be many signs and wonders done by the spiritual enemy. UnBiblical preaching and teaching is increasing, especially via preachers in mega churches, crusades, seminars, TV, faith meetings for healings, and “revivals”. I saw this in a SDA website in July 1999: Poem that Teaches (Author Unknown) JUSTIFICATION frees from sin. SANCTIFICATION frees from the power of sin. GLORIFICATION frees from the presence of sin. JUSTIFICATION is for the repentant sinner. SANCTIFICATION is for the surrendered disciple. GLORIFICATION is for the victorious saint. JUSTIFICATION takes care of the past. SANCTIFICATION takes care of the present. GLORIFICATION takes care of the future.

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JUSTIFICATION changes the attitude. SANCTIFICATION changes the character. GLORIFICATION changes us from mortal to immortal. In JUSTIFICATION, Jesus is our Saviour. In SANCTIFICATION, Jesus is our Master. In GLORIFICATION, Jesus is our glorious King. JUSTIFICATION is our title to Heaven. SANCTIFICATION is our fitness for Heaven. GLORIFICATION is our entrance to Heaven. The Ten Commandments were not nullified by Jesus dying on the cross as many Christian preachers claim. Matthew 5:16-20 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and Earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” He also said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:15-17) When a true Christian gets born again or saved, he or she is no longer under God’s Law, but they still should be with it (not denying the truthfulness of it and not using his or her new freedom to keeping sinning deliberately.). In 1999, I was told that most Christians lived as if there were just 9 commandments that God Himself wrote on stone and has written on people’s hearts. I was also told that a Roman Catholic Pope that had changed the Ten Commandments (not Jesus Christ or the Apostles). Since July 16, 1999, I have usually kept the 4th commandment of the Ten (in the non-Roman Catholic Bibles) as Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul did (not the ways of the Pharisees), and usually have had more blessings than I do in any of the rest of the days (even though I am doing fulltime Internet ministry. There are many commandments and exhortations (each which is related to at least one of the Ten Commandments) in the New Testament that true Christians should want to obey as the wonderful Holy Spirit urges because they are loving Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Bible more and more. Legalism is when you are doing good because it is expected by human beings in authority like parents, teachers, and pastors. But whenever we do what the Holy Spirit urges, we receive at least divine peace and can also receive divine joy. (See also Romans 14:17, John 15:9-11, Philippians 4:4-8, and Proverbs 3:5-8.) Jesus Others Yourself (Joy results only when relating and compassion is done in chronological order.) F -A -I -T -H --

fear not assurance from God's Word in God's love trust in God and the Bible holiness with Holy Spirit and Bible help

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Christ, confession Holy Spirit help attitudes and actions needs good works (Ephesians 2:10) everywhere for eternity