Scripture Reading : Psa. 37:23
Opening Song : 334: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Song of Meditation : We are climbing Jacob's ladder
Closing Song : 625: Higher Ground
Oh yes, we ought to be climbing, we ought to be climbing, climbing Jacob's ladder. The song writer got his inspiration to write this little chorus from the story found in the Bible in Gen. Ch 28. Because of his experience with the Lord, his (Jacob) name as changed to Israel a name conferred on him after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel because "as a prince Jacob had power with God and prevailed."
Oh! Church, people of God today we need to have the spirit of Jacob. That Ladder signifies the pathway to heaven. It calls for an upward struggle, a great prayer-struggle with God: which eventually, like Jacob we shall prevail.
Oh, my brother my sister we need to imagine ourselves on that ladder that leads from earth to heaven, every round going higher and higher progressing to the next level. Each level, taking us closer to heaven to the bosom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But there is a particular struggle.
But must realize and be prepared for there is a particular struggle. Not only to move on upwards higher and higher, but to keep on the right path and to avoid the great deception of doing what we are doing in the name of Jesus, only to hear him say "I never knew you, depart from me."
There are to ways by which one can progress in God's Church. One is Spiritually the other is Carnally. The very fact that one is not progressing Spiritually, leaves you to continue in the carnality of the flesh and here is where the devil can manipulate you into his domain.
Establish the devil's Levels: -
You see, right from the very start there is a common ground for every one of us who was ever born.
Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
So there is in us all common problems: weaknesses, human tendencies and SIN. God knows that we cannot do any thing about our condition and so he sends someone who can. JESUS CHRIST HIS SON. With a working plan: the plan of Salvation.
Without Jesus and His salvavic plan we would have had to take the only path that came by birth. But, because of Jesus thank God there is another Path. This one is by choice. We can choose to remain in the state in which we found ourselves from birth or we can choose to correct that unfortunate reality of being born in sin and shapen in iniquity which works out to be 100% carnal. Not choosing totally and completely the entire "I CAN FIX IT" plan of Jesus from Justification to Sanctification and then on to Glorification, is to choose to remain like how we are, 100% carnal. And that brings us to the first of the devil's levels.
(1) remain in the carnality of the flesh
1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
What Paul is tell us here is that some of the evidences of carnality are envying, and strife, and divisions which exist in all men who have not really applied to their lives Jesus' Complete Salvavic Plan.
Romans 8:6,7: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
There is therefore a mark difference between when you were born (carnal) and when you were re-born (baptism) – One is carnal and ends in death the other is Spiritual and never ends with eternal life. So even though we all had a bad start landing on the same platform there is absolutely no reason for anyone to remain there 'cause if we stay there too long that devil, who also has a plan for our life, will lead us on to the next level.
The questions I will like to ask at this point is:
Is it dangerous being on this level? Does anyone have to remain on this level?
Does it matter how long we remain on this level? What can happen if we remain too long at this level?
The longer we stay in the carnality of the flesh is the more leverage we are giving the devil to play with our minds and keep us forever off track, off course and full speed ahead down the road that leads to hell.
He wastes no time in promoting us on to higher levels where it becomes more difficult to see Jesus and his way and where the voice of Holy Spirit we here no more. At this stage the next level is…
(2) mind completely controlled by evil (demonic possession)
Genesis 6:5: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Proverbs 23:7: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
And what is most frightening is that at this stage you can still be looked at as a Church member and have acceptance in the church. But this is not so strange because from the parable of the wheat and the tears this is what we discover.
Matt. 13:27-30: So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
The arc enemy is the devil and he has his people in God's Church the Bible calls them tears. And while they are there they accomplish the wished of the devil. And then if you don't catch yourself and repent of your deed, it onto the next level.
(3) A servant to whom you obey
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of is own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
When you would have satisfied your master and father enough and he can trust you with heavier things then he promotes you to the next level
(4) Pervert the right way of God
Acts 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
You are now gainfully employed by the devil to do mischief, and pervert the ways of the Lord. And now better way you can do this than being an undercover agent, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Brethren, I want to stress here the seriousness of not progress spiritually in Christ, by becoming complacent and careless with salvation, and what it can lead to. Here at this level you are really, really in serious trouble getting away from here is almost impossible. It like what Jesus told his disciples. This one calls for prayer and fasting. If you don't heed to the pleas of the Holy Spirit and free yourself from the clutches of the devil, he promotes you to the next level.
(5) Accomplish the works of the devil
Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
(6) end up in hell with the devil
Mat. 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
This doesn't have to be the trend of any of us today. If we but quickly find the pathway of Jesus and progress step by step to the next level then heaven will be our home. Is there anyone here today who wants to go to the next level with Christ, can I see your hands?
Establish the Levels of Christ:
Psa. 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
(1) new babes in Christ
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1 Corinthians 3:1 ¶ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Sometime we remain too long at this level Why? We refuse to feed on the sincere milk of God's word. And so yes, we are babes in Christ through baptism but we need to move on to the next level quickly before the works of the flesh begin to manifest itself again. You see the new you has just been born, and like a new born babe much tender care needs to be taken here if this child would live. One such care is food. Needless to say if this infant dies then the old man of sin resurrects again and you are back to square one 100% carnal. As a matter of fact your carnal nature is still with you until you begin to grow so that the more Spiritual you get is the less carnal you become. So very quickly move on to the next level
(2) grow in grace and in the Knowledge of Christ
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
And as we feed and grow we become hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Luke 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
So the Spiritual is developing and pretty soon you are now minding and doing the things of the spirit. More spiritual, less carnal. You'll find that even at this early stage in your Christian experience you begin to display Character traits like that of Christ's. There is evidence of growth in your life and every one sees it.
Eph.5:19-21 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 ¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
John 14:17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever
Now you are been made ready for heavier and harder stuff for the Holy spirit is there guiding you in to all truth. Pretty soon, because of your dedication and commitment to God and his work, and your relationship with Jesus becomes stronger and stronger, the Holy Spirit is not only with you but in you as you move up to the next level, which is to achieve a total transformation of mind. 100% spiritually minded.
(3) a mind transformation
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind , that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Being fully mature in the spirit, you just can't do nothing better than to start bearing the fruit of the Spirit
Gal 5: 22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
The kind of Christian love that this is now bearing is far above a mere feeling. It's a love like Christ's love that is a power, a force that elevates our thoughts, modifies our attitudes, and transforms our whole life. It is God's life injected into our inner life, then revealed in our behavior. Our lives are now hid in Christ in God.
Phil 3:13,14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(4) moving steadfastly forward not looking back
You are on to the next level, you are focus, you are determine, you are no longer influenced by what people say or do. Yes, as a human being, you are hurt but then you quickly cast all that on Jesus who promises to take care of you. No sooner said than done you are back again smiling and singing and loving and helping and giving and sharing, just as Jesus would. You may even ask yourself how, but why not, you character is fast becoming like that of Jesus'. Then to the next level
(5) fully persuaded determine to reach the gold regardless to who or what.
1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
All along the path of righteousness the devil would have been trying to distract you and slow you down or cause you to stumble and tumble. Here he will use any and every means to get at you. Like what he did with Jesus in the wilderness, he just doesn't give up even if he loses twice. Watch out Oh, here he comes with a bigger and better one. But not even the devil can stop you because now you are no longer walking but you are running. And remember God is ordering your footsteps.
Like the commander of an army or the pathfinder director, he gives the mark time, the forward march, the quick march and even the halt commands. The Lord orders your steps therefore he also orders your stops. It means therefore that nobody has the right to stop you from progressing or you shouldn't allow anyone or anything to stop your progress. Listen only to the voice of your commander Jesus Christ. True! there will be stumbling blocks in your path, but don't stop to move them. Let God deal with them and God will work it out for your good so that instead of the stumbling block becoming a major STOP, God works things out differently; and that stumbling block becoming a major STEP. Praise the Lord today somebody because my God is Good.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
You can believe in and on this text. Once you have an established love relationship with God, there is no need for you to fight your own battles: Somebody did you a wrong tell it to Jesus. In-fact before you start telling Jesus starts the healing and now your can truly rejoice when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you. You can rejoice and be exceedingly glad because now is time again for another major STEP in your progress towards becoming like Jesus and assuming a character like that of His. This is the plan of God for each of us who depend whole and solely on Him for everything.
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
1 Peter 5:5-8 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
So now your relationship is so strong. The trials that come your way pass them. The temptations that comes you overcome them, instead of complaining and fretting over your tests and trials you are now rejoicing because you can now, through Jesus Christ, understand and be partakers in the suffering that Christ had on our behalf. Therefore you can, with confidence and assurance say like Paul:
Rom 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Having gone through all of this, and not fall back into 100% carnality, not fighting your own battles, nor seeking revenge, not loosing your temper and saying things that you regret later, nor looking for an opportunity to get even, or allowing your human tendencies to have the better part of you, but fully trusting, and depending upon Jesus. Hi, are ready for the next level
(6) the fullness of Christ – (mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.) 1Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
There is a day of perfection of character when through all the fiery trials and the darts of the enemy you have come out shining like gold. God allowing trials and tribulations and persecution to come your way. It all turns out for your good. It helped in the building of a character that now looks like Jesus'. And now Jesus is proud of you. He is ready to boast about you and show you off the Father and to the devil and the world what His blood has enabled you to become. I say Perfection day is a coming. How many of us will make Jesus proud?
It will only happen…
Eph. 4:13-15 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Jude 1:24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Do you know what level you are at in your spiritual journey towards the perfecting of your character?
Are you satisfied with where you are presently? If not are you willing to move on to the next level?
Do you think that you can never make it? Or do you know for sure that you can make it? If you think that you can make it with Jesus on your side, just stand to your feet.
Why not right now by faith stretch out you hand to Jesus and say these words aloud. Jesus, take my hand and help me on to the next level, in your precious name I prayer, Amen.
END OF SERMON: If you have made a decision just us an email telling us of your experience. My God Continue to Bless you aboundantly.
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