Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, 24 Aug 2014
Jer 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
You might sweat and labor all your life, but if you don’t have Jesus, the key of life, it’s all in vain.
Rev 12:11
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by Hitler, said we Christians must die five times. We must die to our family, money, our bodies, reputation, and even our life, not fearing death.
1Tim 6:9, 10
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
George Muller, who was born in Germany but lived in England and propagated the Gospel in an amazing way after his conversion, was asked what was his secret of living such a victorious life. He answered that there was a day when he died to everything else and all he had left was the Lord Jesus.
If you are asleep spiritually the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes will come to the fore and be very alive in you. If you’re asleep spiritually even a service where God is at work doesn’t touch you, and you go out the same way you entered.
The doer of sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34). May God wake us up. May we hear this promise from Jeremiah properly for it’s a great promise in the Bible.
God’s plans for us is a good future. Hell was not made for people but for the devil and his angels. But if you cling to your sin then you too will end there.
There are those who say they will never confess their sin to a person but such are asleep spiritually.
Solomon was the wisest man that lived, but even he was made to sin by women.
God says that the sorcerers, liars and dogs will be outside heaven (Rev 22:15). Dogs are those people who confess their sins and then go back to it.
2Pet 2:20-22
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
You might be very superstitious about not eating pork, little realising that you’re the pig by returning to the wallowing in the mire of your sin.
This is the time for you to return to the Lord for He has wonderful plans for your life. Hell was not created for you but for the devil and his angels. However, if you persist in clinging to the devil you will miss out on God’s promises for you.
(Before the service a young man testified and told a moving story about a man that was employed by a very wealthy man. His employer observed that he was faithful and diligent in everything he did. He then said that he will contract him for 3 years on condition that he never returns home during that time. After the 3 years the rich man handed him an small purse and said not to open it till he arrives home (which was a small hovel). The poor man was very disappointed with such a small purse having expected something far more substantial after 3 solid years of labour. When he got to a bridge flowing over a fast-moving river he decided to have a peep into the purse. He was awfully disappointed when he saw that it only contained a set of keys. With disgust he threw the purse into the river. When he neared home his wife and children ran out to meet him, full of joy. He thought it strange that they should be so happy when he had nothing to show for his 3 years of employment. One of his children then asked him for the keys. “What keys?”, he responded. “Why, the keys for our mansion of course!”, the child said. Next to his family’s hovel was a massive mansion. It was beautiful! His wife and children knew that the rich man had built it for them. It was stocked with groceries and everything they could wish for. The rich man had told them that they could move in as soon as their husband and father arrived with the keys. There was weeping and wailing when he admitted to his family that he had thrown away the keys.
Rev Stegen then said that Jesus is the key. If we miss out on Him we miss out on everything, even heaven itself.)
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