Sermon Tone Analysis

*Love Of The Truth*          25th May

These last few weeks I have had several phone calls and discussions with Pastors and people about some of the things being reported in the Body of Christ both here in NZ and overseas – of revival in Florida and various phenomena – it is being called a Fresh wave of the Spirit, a new thing God is doing and it is going to sweep all over the world.

It has already begun and people from NZ are flocking off to Florida.

If you have not heard of these things you soon will I’m sure.

I am very aware that it is often said “/The greatest opposition to a new move of God are those who were at the forefront of the last move of God/” – However, I also believe that if God has entrusted us with His Spirit in some powerful way in times past we are called, *and even obligated* to KNOW what He is doing now and so shepherd people towards embracing and running with Him, or indeed shepherding people away from what we believe is wrong and guiding them towards the truth.

I find it very interesting that right at this time over these last few weeks God has lead us into looking again at the Holy Spirit.

You know all I have is the Holy Spirit – *and that’s wonderful and He is enough!* – But I have no education, no theological training as such, I have lived a very foolish life until Jesus got hold of me.

I love God and I know that love is changing, maybe it is maturing, I am really not sure but I can tell you this morning that *I am afraid* –

I feel a real responsibility and maybe that is not least because of what God entrusted to me from 94-2000 – all of those churches I visited and preached in and saw the Holy Spirit move upon.

You know I am largely separated from those pastors now and the hundreds and more I once preached to, and yet here I am with us – and more than ever before I am beginning to understand something of this journey God has taken us on over these last 3-4 years –

This is not a light thing for me to preach this morning – but this really is about the Holy Spirit and I am speaking to you *knowing* what I have preached these last few weeks.

*/I wonder if we are not in fact seeing a move of God beginning to spread around the western world/* – */but perhaps not as we expected?/*

------- We are living in an age where Christians seem to be continually seeking after proof or evidences of God through experiences and supernatural signs and wonders and angels.

Along with the worlds whole preoccupation with entertainment and interactive gaming, of events and conferences and superstars – mega stadiums, mega people, so we have mega church – larger than life and promoting themselves as extraordinary – super spiritual, super close to God with supernatural encounters as daily experiences – There is a promotion of this “spirituality” as not only being normal but an implication that if we don’t KNOW these things we are unspiritual, religious!

*So I must begin with this – the very fact that we are seeking after signs and wonders and supernatural phenomena as a means of proving God is – as proof of God’s existence and healing power and manifest presence is in fact a declaration of our unbelief* – for FAITH comes from hearing and hearing from the W.O.G. – I am not denying signs and wonders or divine healing I have both seen and been used of God in these things –

But it is the W.O.G. that we must place our faith in, it is the W.O.G. that enables God to speak to us – we must never allow anything to undermine the W.O.G. and it’s priority in our lives.

The Bible is complete finished and true – that is the Basis of all Christian faith – nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken away.

If it is not in the Bible discard it!

If it is in the Bible believe it!

Simple!

Listen if anything – no matter how miraculous it may appear to be is not in the W.O.G.

It cannot be relied upon, you cannot place faith in it – we may be inspired by testimony and healing but our faith must be, and can */only/* be, in the W.O.G.

*2 Th 2:1-4* Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

\\ We know *specifically* from scripture that Jesus Christ is going to come a second time and when that happens all true believers will be gathered together to Him (/not major now/) – but we can also see that before Jesus returns certain things will happen – *these are not suggestions or maybes* – before Jesus returns *there will be* a great falling away – accompanied by a great deceiver – a man who will be God-like and able to seduce believers to himself.

– (/1500 a week in Britain/)

Now I don’t have to state that this is that hour and name some man as this anti-Christ – but we can see that this is a clearly stated scriptural, God ordained, *going to happen event*!

And as with much prophetic scripture it can have more than one fulfilment.

Maybe this is in a sense, like a license to the devil and so he is practicing to make sure he has it right!

We only have to look at the great falling away of much of the church to ask questions now?

*2 Th 2:5-8  *Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

\\ Right from the beginning Paul taught these things – they were relevant then and they are more so now!

Lawlessness is already at work and is only restrained until the preordained time of God to remove all restraint ( /think of no restraint of evil/) – until at Jesus’ coming the lawless one will be destroyed by His brightness.

*But we must accept that until that time we are living under the lawlessness already at work*.

Now I could major on that evidence – but you all know!

*2 Th 2:9-12  *The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

\\ *This is the W.O.G. and although it is prophetic and future it is also God speaking to us now – this is God’s voice*!

This is incredibly important for us and I know I am sticking my neck out, as it were, but with everything I am I believe this is the Spirit of God – look you know the W.O.G. confirms the W.O.G. so I want to really try and get you to see this – /you know Jesus said having eyes to see they see not and having ears to hear they hear not – Oh that the Spirit may let us see and hear/!

*Is 66:1-4* Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool.

Where is the house that you will build Me?

And where is the place of My rest?

For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord.

“But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

“He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.

Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.”

\\ God is God and He does not need our worship!

If the worship we offer Him is shallow, false and religious it is like offering the sacrifice of a bull but God seeing it as though we offered a man we had murdered!

It is an abomination to Him – offering a lamb is like breaking a dog’s neck to God if it is done without a contrite spirit and a pure heart – trembling at the W.O.G. – Just like the Holy Spirit is saying to us in Thessalonians – attributing our religious self centred ministries to the Spirit

is like offering to God swine’s blood!

Our soul might delight in the apparently glorious ministries and power and signs – but to God that is an abomination and so *He chooses* ---

please see this, *God chooses* their delusions and brings them upon them!

– As God declares it in Isaiah so it is here in the N.T. and we must see this : -- 

*2 Th 2:9-12  *The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

\\ If we are not lovers of the truth – *Oh church listen to this it is the W.O.G.* and we are living in this age of lawlessness – if we do not love the truth – and *Jesus is the Truth* and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and He is HOLY – but if we are not lovers of the truth and it is God’s Word that is truth – nothing else is truth if it is not in the W.O.G. – we must LOVE this truth – seek after Jesus with everything we have – Oh church He is so wonderful, so glorious, so perfect and *SAFE*!!

If we do not love the truth then we are immediately vulnerable, exposed!

Then along comes a ministry, several ministries all connected together and all coming from one source – but spread out and separate – great signs and wonders and miracles – even healing – Satan can perform miracles and healing – look at what he did in Egypt – look how he took Jesus up onto the highest pinnacle – don’t be fooled there is coming a time when even the very elect may be deceived!!

So along come these signs and they are attractive and they are powerful and they excite you – I have seen them first hand – they make your doubt evaporate they are so real – and they can captivate you! *Bam you are caught* – and all of the ministries have persuasive arguments and the constant cry of touch not God’s anointed and religious fanatics – accusers etc. so people flock to them – hundreds, thousands – the desperate and the sick, the event followers and the groupies –

And those hungry for God – really hungry for God – but thinking they can find God without it costing them anything at all – before they even go they are seduced by this age of a Christianity without holiness, without repentance without the F.O.G. – when the glory of God is ever manifested in the W.O.G. men are on their faces – I want to be on my face!!! – But they all flock to the “revival” meetings  -- 

Signs and wonders and even healing – gold dust, feathers falling from heaven, red stuff like glittering blood appearing on hands -- angels as balls of light entering into people – strange sounds attributed to angelic beings but sounding like animals grunting and barking and braying – even jewels like diamonds and rubies – it is exciting stuff – *but not one of these things is in the Bible*!

Not one of these things does God tell us to expect, to look for, or to accept.

In fact He clearly tells us that it is exactly things like this that are prophesied in Isaiah and Thessalonians --  /with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

/It is Jesus we seek after – it is God, Holy and glorious.

Oh that we might just know His Majesty, His glory and Holiness – there  are no signs for the F.O.G. save that we fall in awe etc

*But here is the essence of what I am saying and it is frightening and I hope I am wrong and just being zealous – but I wouldn’t preach this if I didn’t believe it to be so* – but it is the Holy Spirit not me who wrote this for us today – how we must love the truth, church we must LOVE the TRUTH no matter what it costs us because the alternative is too fearful to consider – and if we don’t consider it first we will never consider it because we will believe the lie!

See it is God who sends the delusion – it is God who sends *strong delusion* so that those who will not believe the truth, *who have not loved* the truth will believe the lie! *This is a move of God*!

This is not referring to just a few individuals it is referring to many people – as many as will follow after the ministries.

Look there would not be ministries of deceiving lies and signs and wonders if there were no followers!

– there would be no unrighteous deception if there were no ministries to promote it!

And here is the saddest part those who get caught up are condemned because they have rejected the truth and embraced the lie! – If it were not attractive, seductive, appealing, powerful – if there were no healings – people would not go – but because those things happen does not make it Holy

 If you have not heard of these things you soon will – *but if it is a move of God then it is not a move to embrace it is a move to praise God and worship Him that He has revealed to you the Truth*!

There are lots of specific things I could go on about but all I really want to do is point you to the W.O.G. (Sandringham~/USA~/Gold Dust) – none of these signs are in W.O.G. – I have seen things that are unusual – hot and cold, tongues stuck to the roof of mouths – people unable to speak for a season –

But they are all in the Bible – Oh church please be aware because as we seek to know the Holy Spirit we must first of all KNOW Him from the W.O.G. – It is God who sends strong delusion according to our embracing of the truth -- --- */you know I have often had it asked of me how could that minister or this one who had such a powerful ministry of preaching and healing and power be so caught up into sin, adultery or money??/*

I wonder this morning if it is not because in our idolatry of them, and their pride, God allows the delusion – you know that someone who is really deceived, someone who has embraced the lie cannot be set free except by the power of God – the Grace of God – because no matter how much you try to tell them they cannot believe they are wrong, otherwise they would not have gone there in the beginning.

– *If this is a move of God I don’t want to be part of it*!

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Jn 3:16   *For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

\\ *Gethsemane* : -- *Lk 22:39-44* Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.

When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.

Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

\\ *Is 59:2  *But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

\\ *The Cross : --  Mt 27:45-50*   Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

\\ God gave His Son – Jesus said over and over “*I and My Father are One*” – God gave Himself – to become sin for us – to pay the price for the punishment we deserve as being sinners – the creation in rebellion!

Jesus became the substitute for you and me – we deserved death and eternal punishment – death is eternal!

It is not annihilation.

It is an eternal never-ending state of being – Hell is where all the unredeemed will spend eternity.

God cannot tolerate sin, it cannot enter heaven, it cannot come before Him, God is Holy and sin, no sin no matter how insignificant we may think it is, can be in His Presence it is impossible!

Sin separates us from God. – When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane – alone – the anguish, the understanding, of what He was about to do was so terrible it caused Him to cry out */Father take this cup from Me/*!! – Jesus was not afraid of physical pain.

Sweating blood in anguish –

/I and My Father are One, I do nothing except what I hear the Father say/ – the Cross, the price, our redemption – the substitution, taking our place, meant Jesus had to take the punishment and the punishment */is separation from God/* – at the Cross the Divine Union that had been from everlasting, the *eternal unity of the trinity was broken*, it was breached so that you and I could be saved!

Prior to the incarnation – no one could see God, He is invisible Spirit, no one could see Jesus – but at the Cross something changed and when we see Him we will be like Him – He has retained this form of humanity – Jesus gave up something far, far beyond human suffering and pain – He gave something of His God-ness, His Divinity – it was an eternal event – even if it was only for a moment Jesus was separated from God with whom He had been One from before time – from everlasting -!