Introduction Dietmar Joosten
I was shocked by a recent clip I saw where a person tore up the Bible. We know this one truth: God and His church will stand. The Bible says that in the last days the love of many people will grow cold. Someone said to me this morning that the people who should be following Christ are following money. That is their life. It is just about wealth.
May Christ help us that through this service we would be enriched and able to say, ‘Lord, I will follow You, no matter what may come. What You ask me to do, I will do.’
This is part of the reason God began this revival – to stand when everything seems to be going wrong and to know that our lives belong to Him and we can sing, It is well with my soul. There is no need for fear, everything is in God’s hands.
May God bless the singing and abundantly bless His Word. Everything depends upon that blessing.
Michael Ngubane
I greet the brethren in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for He is the One who keeps us and gives us life. I thank the Lord that I can stand here because it is through His power and greatness.
We thank the Lord that we have His Word and still have it - although we do not know for how much longer. We also do not know for how much longer we can meet like this as God’s children.
When things happen overseas, before long they will also take place here in our country. Remember COVID, it was overseas and next thing it was here and it affected us greatly. Our friends and families passed away. Where it started and how it came about and whether something has been done, we do not know.
The Bible says that the last days will be extremely difficult. People will forsake the Lord Jesus and run after money and material things. Believers should unite and do something. The signs as we read in God’s word as there. It is clear what kind of people there will be in the end times. The Bible tells us about the anti-Christ. It is obvious that his spirit roams the earth. There are people who have not claimed to be anti-Christ but their actions show that they are.
There are people who have no love for God and His things e.g. the person who tore up the Bible in front of the whole world. He displayed his true colours without hiding a thing. He is unaware that his deed adds fuel to the fire of God’s word and spreads it across the world. God in His love has prepared and shown us that these are the signs that the end times are here. We need to awake from our sleep because the devil is not asleep.
If you realise that your brother no longer does what he used to: he no longer prays as he used to, he no longer reads his Bible as he used to, he no longer attends church the way he used to, he no longer takes his Bible along to church as he used to, he falls asleep in church, he no longer hears what God says – he has fallen asleep. If the Lord has laid something on your heart with which to help that person, do it lest you also fall asleep. Ask the person, ‘Brother, sister, why don’t you pray anymore? Why don’t you read your Bible? What has gone wrong?’
It happens before our eyes. Some people are lazy and have excuses: I am ill, I have a headache, my ears are blocked, I feel a stomach-ache coming. Strange that the sickness only starts when a person is about to attend a service! When the service is over, the illness has vanished. Such a person has been visited by demons who do not want him/her to hear God’s word. Wake such a person up. Rouse them from their sleep. They need someone to show them that they are asleep.
It is terrible if a person has become lukewarm. Jesus says that the lukewarm person will be spewed out of the kingdom of Heaven. Be hot or cold, but not lukewarm. Do not allow lukewarmness into your life. Do not let sin into your life. Do not allow stubbornness to enter between a husband and wife as it will destroy families. This is the spirit of the anti-Christ.
How can you help a brother/sister who is lukewarm? Prayer. You can visit them to pray with them. If God has put it on your heart to pray with a person, be obedient. God will work. To be spiritually blunt and lukewarm is terrible. It is a great danger for the children of God. The only cause of spiritual bluntness is sin in a life. If evil and wickedness is allowed in a life, the love and zeal for the Lord will decrease. People around you will notice. A person used to bring God’s word to people, but that enthusiasm has slowly dwindled. This is not the time to fall asleep. Go to that person and ask him/her what has happened?
You may be in church but there is someone whom you have left behind, someone who has simply stayed away. Why? The devil has got into their hearts. They excuse themselves and say they do not have money to get to church and yet they have money to buy drugs and do evil things. What has happened? Do not ignore people who are spiritually sick, it could even be that their spiritual disease is affecting their bodies. Satan no longer camouflages himself. It is clear what he is doing. You can see he is at work. We need to help one another so that we can remain on fire for the Lord.
The devil comes in different ways. If you toss a frog into hot water, it will jump out, but if you slowly heat the water with the frog in it, it will remain there and die. When it needs to jump out it is too late. Similarly, children of God, do not remain silent if things are no longer as they were in the beginning.
Do you remember the fire that was in your heart before? You could not live with unconfessed sin in your life. You had to make things right immediately. You did not tolerate sin in your life. You wanted that peace and assurance. But today? What are you busy with? What burns in your heart? Anger? It is terrible if this is found in a child of God. If someone speaks about you, you become so angry. What has got into you?
The devil comes in different ways. He brings images and videos. Long ago you would have had to purchase a magazine or newspaper to see these images but nowadays there is easy access. You cannot even go to bed without having seen these images and done certain things. You are on fire for Satan.
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:6 – 8
Will he find faith on earth? This is the great question. If we consider the evil on earth and we see what is happening, we ask the question, “Lord, will you feel for the righteous who follow You and do what Your will is?” Are there any righteous people left? Are there still those who are righteous before God?
Those present today may testify to things that have happened to each one of us, but we say, ‘Lord, whatever comes, give me the power to remain faithful to You as I go forward. I believe in Your power. I believe in Your victory. If I have faith in You, Lord, I will overcome.’ If all this evil comes, will the Lord preserve the righteous? The Lord answers, ‘I will not forsake you; I will be with you, I will walk with you. Do not lose your faith, your trust, your hope.’ The Lord is close by. He promises He will be with you; He will carry you; He will preserve you; He will keep You and walk with You. Do not lose your faith and your vision of Jesus. Stand strong, be courageous. This is a promise of Jesus – He will not forsake you. He will be with those who cling to Him in truth. He will give them the victory and the power to be victorious. King David said in Psalm 23 I fear no evil because You are with me. He had the assurance – the Lord is with me. He will not forsake me; He will not leave me but carry me the whole way.
As evil is so rife in this world, when the Son of Man returns, will there be any righteous people left?
Are people being drawn closer to the Gospel and God’s ways or are they being repelled? When the Lord ascended into heaven, He told His disciples to go into the world, telling people of His resurrection and giving them hope. We need to tell the world that the Lord has risen in power. Christianity should be seen. God is in us. People should see that God is alive.
When the Son of God returns to fetch His people, will there be any righteous? What is your answer? When Jesus returns, will faith be found in our lives? If the Lord returned today, how many would say that they are walking in His way, they are in God’s heart? When God sees our hearts, does He have hope? Can He say, ‘I see that one, he loves Me, he follows Me.’ The Lord loved us while we were still sinners and now He loves us even more knowing that we love Him and want to serve Him. If God would write a report about each of us, what would He see in our hearts? Would He see a heart on fire for Him?
What removes God’s love from our heats is the love for the world and the things of the world. The devil has swallowed you up through the things of the world. Your heart has been conquered by Satan with the things of the world. Your mind is held captive by what Satan has brought to you. He has enticed you with the things of the world. That is why you do not have a love for prayer and the things of God. The things of this world bring you joy.
Satan has poured out the lusts of the flesh onto young and old, married and unmarried. Lust consumes people. Children burn with lust for their mothers. Mother, how do you dress? Does it fill the little child’s mind with wickedness? Children lust after their father or mother. It is terrible.
Consider the images on the clothes you buy for your children – creatures with horns on. You do not realise that you bring the devil into your child through clothing.
When the Son of God returns, will He find faith and belief amongst the children of God? Will there be faith on earth? Children of God, we need to bring the Gospel - the light - while there is still time. Do not say we are only a few. A pinch of salt adds flavour to a large pot of food. If you bring light to just one person and he/she changes their ways, it is worth it. One piece of wood on the fire, adds fire to the other logs. That is our task, to bring hope and light to people. There are people whom you visit daily, and you cannot sleep before you see them. What do you bring to them? God’s ways, the Gospel? We need to bring it to the people.
Will the Son of Man find faith on earth? Where is your faith? In what is your hope? How great is your trust in Jesus? How much is your example worth to those who do not know the Lord Jesus? Are you that star that shines, bringing people hope and showing them the way to Jesus. You are the salt of the earth. If the salt has lost its saltiness, what will revive it? We are the salt of the earth. Through our speech and actions, we should show people the way to God. We need to bring them the light, the Gospel. Nothing else will help other than the light of Christ. Do you demonstrate your saltiness in this dark world?
Crowds go where the devil is. When will we bring them the light and show them the things of God? Imagine all the young people who are enslaved to alcohol. They drink, get drunk. That is how they live. We have been taught so much and have the Gospel; do we remain silent? If you have received a calling, are you doing what Christ has called you to do?
When Jesus returns will He find faith on earth?
In South Africa, we often are oblivious to what is really going on regarding the abuse and rape of children. The devil is all over. What are we doing about it? Why must small children of 3 years be taught sex education? Why is the devil targeting children?
Parents send their little children to school where they receive sex education and how to put it into practice. Condoms are distributed to children. The outcome - your children fall pregnant. If the world is so evil and dark, will the Lord find faith on this earth when He returns? If there is a fire in your heart, and the Lord speaks to you, bring that fire and touch people’s hearts. You may not have to go very far, just to those in your classroom. Share the Gospel with them. What fire burns in your heart, the fire of God or of the world? You only see the things of this earth. The lusts of the world burn within you. If you see how children are attacked and all the evil that is done to them, do you remain quiet or do you speak up? Is that fire in you? You see this injustice and you want something to be done about it.
What is your heart like? Are you on fire or ice-cold? You know your heart is cold, so much so that nothing enters and you leave the service exactly as you came in. You are ruled by the flesh, your lust. You make things right but you are not victorious over sin because you are ruled by the lusts of the flesh and you love them. Even if you confess your sin, you are wasting your time because you love it. You confess your sin, but nothing changes. You will never be victorious because there is no sorrow or remorse. You do not realise that you have sinned against God and that is why you will not be helped. You need to feel the pain of your sin and the anguish that you bring to the Lord Jesus through it. Because of your sin, the Lord went to Calvary, He experienced suffering. If you do not feel this or understand it, you will leave the service with your sin. Why is it so easy for you to sin? You make it right, but then fall back into sin, then make it right again? What does the Lord Jesus mean to you? Does it mean the Lord has no power or is the problem with you? When the Lord sets us free, He sets us free indeed. This is what the Bible says and the Bible does not make a mistake. If are sincere and truthful the Lord will do it. The Lord can change your life if you come to Him in earnest truthfulness. Your family will know then that no matter where you go, you will be faithful to what the Lord has done for you. You will not sleep around in hotels. Men work and earn a salary but their family never sees that money. You are the one who knows where the money goes.
When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on earth? What is your faith like? There are times when we need to stand still, reflect, look at our hearts and lives, and ask whether there is faith in our lives. Do we believe in truth? Can we overcome the world with the faith we have? Faith conquers the world. You need to know that. The Lord Jesus says you can be victorious over sin. It is possible. What is it like with you? Why do you desert the faith? Why do you keep falling into sin? Why is the power of the Lord Jesus not evident in your life? What is wrong with you? What is going on in your heart? What rides and rules you? Until when will you remain in your sin? How long will you remain there? Does God’s power not work in you?
Young men, how long will it take before God’s power works in your lives? Will the world and its lusts rule you? When will God’s power work in your hands and fingers? God’s word says that people’s hands are filled with sin. Does it mean that you deny the power of the Lord Jesus and you cannot overcome sin? How long before your life can testify to that assurance that God has helped you live a victorious life?
It is wonderful that there are some chosen ones. May it be our desire to be among the few that belong to the Lord Jesus and who can testify to His power. They do not hold onto anything brought to them by the devil. They are fully committed to holding onto the truth of God. It is a comfort that the Lord Jesus will always be with those who serve Him in truth.
What holds you back, young man, young woman, boys and girls, listeners? What holds you back from giving up your life and clinging to the Lord Jesus who gives us all. God did not withhold anything. He gave His only son to suffer and die for us. What are we still holding onto? What have we given God?
We are thankful that the Lord knows those who are His and He feels for them. It should give us courage. Regardless of whether people are angered or we a thrown into prison, God will be with us. The Lord is there, He feels for His own, He knows and supports His own; no matter what comes your way, no matter what the world throws at you. If you remain faithful, He will be with you, support you and give you what you need. Do not fear the world. Do not fear opposition. Do not fear those who want the worst for you. Hold onto Jesus. He will be faithful to us. Stay in Him. It is important to remain faithful, to stay with the Lord. That is our prayer – Lord, abide with us. Let us not remove God’s power from our lives. Jesus helps us to be victorious. Do not go to God but doubt. Do not bring your burden to the Lord with doubt. Have faith that He will remove it. Do not bring your sin but doubt that the Lord will set you free. Do not doubt in the face of the greatness of your sin. If you doubt you will not receive anything but if you go in faith, you will receive your reward. God’s word says that if we bring our sin to Him in truth and faithfulness, He will be faithful and set us free. His forgiveness cannot be compared to our evil. The love He has for us cannot be compared to that which we bring. God’s love is so great that whatever evil we bring, the Lord forgives us and forgets it. His grace and love towards us is so great that it cannot be fathomed.
In Noah’s generation, people mocked and did all kinds of things to Noah. The Lord told Noah to be faithful. He built the ark according to the dimensions God gave him. He built the door and the shutters where God said he should. Such is the wisdom of God. God brought the animals to the ark - a male and a female – a man and a woman. God never gave a choice in this matter – it was male and female. God does not do things in a disorderly way. He gave Noah the order: take the animals, male and female. The Lord created Adam and Eve – nothing else. He created man and out of man’s side, He created woman. No choice was given regarding this issue. God never gave people the choice whether they wanted to be a man or woman.
The anti-Christ is here – the one against Christ. They say now, no more cash. Thieves will steal cards and not cash anymore. So, the most secure way to stop thieves would be a chip on the hand or forehead. This is close. How will we eat or buy things? The Lord Jesus has promised to be with us. He says, ‘Do not be afraid, I will be with you, I will keep you and will guide you. I am your God; I will look after you.’ We must remain faithful. He will be with us even then.
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you; he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:7,8
Noah followed God’s instructions and at the right time God took control and then he understood how God was leading. Be obedient, but how can you if you simply continue doing your own thing all the time? If you fail to obey those who manage you, how will you be able to obey God? Will He find faith on earth in you and me?
Conclusion Dietmar Joosten
The people must have ridiculed Noah and made a mockery of him, but Noah had faith in God. He grasped what he had been commanded and did it. May we have hearts like that when God speaks to us. It will create faith in us when we see His works in our lives.
The world and sin are like Goliath. They make a noise. They shout. They drive fear into their opponents. Nobody was prepared to go out and by faith, look Goliath in the eye. There was a young boy who had grace, which is Christ – Christ with us – imagine what God can do?
Do not give up. This woman in Luke 18 persevered until the judge said, ‘I can’t take it, I will do it.’ She was helped. If you are in a battle and experiencing hardship, do not give up, in due time you will reap your reward. Battles make good soldiers.