SERMON INSIGHTS

The Crisis of the Drifting Agenda

Central Spiritual Truth: The modern church has forsaken its heavenly high calling by shifting its focus from eternal fellowship with God to the temporary problems of the natural world.

• The church has “gone a bit wild” by losing the divine, heavenly agenda for which God originally established His body on earth. In these times, the focus has shifted from seeking to know and meet God to worrying about the mundane things of this temporary life.
• Society remains in a rotten state because the church has failed to function as the “salt” and the “light” it was intended to be. When the church loses its direction, it can no longer provide the spiritual preservation needed by a dark and failing world.
• Matthew 24 reveals that while people are naturally concerned about life on earth, the church must resist this earthly shift to maintain its high calling. Governments are failing to provide solutions, and the church should not mimic their earthly methods but point toward the Kingdom.
• A “falling standard” is evident where confusing prophetic messages have replaced the true Gospel handed over by Jesus Christ. This is described as “totally another gospel” that does not lead souls toward their ultimate glory in God.
• The world is in darkness and can only be brought back through a church that has “searched herself” to ensure she is truly in the faith. Deliverance and redemption are required for the church to regain its status as a vessel of revelation to the human race.

The Core Invitation: Sonship and Eternal Glory

Central Spiritual Truth: The true invitation of the Gospel is to receive the power to become children of God, moving from a state of lost glory to the fullness of Risen Glory.

• The Father calls us through the mission of the Son to a state of “Risen Glory,” moving us from death unto life. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12), which is the high point of our calling.
• Everlasting life means taking on the fullness of God, who is eternal, powerful, and glorious. John 3:16 confirms that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
• The purpose of faith is to share in the resurrection spirit of power and enter into God’s glory, not to seek earthly riches. Jesus shares His glory with us so that we may be one with the Father, fulfilling the high, heavenly calling decided by God.
• We are called to be a “royal priesthood,” possessing a new spiritual status that enables us to live according to a divine nature. This transformation allows us to be children of God in the flesh while being inwardly changed to match the image of Jesus Christ.
• Believers must set their affections on things above, recognizing that their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. This new name and status signify that we are agents of God’s revelation to all of creation.

 Discerning False Ministries and Materialistic Deception

Central Spiritual Truth: True followers of Christ labor for the “meat which endureth,” while false prophets use signs and miracles to distract the people with earthly solutions.

• False Christs and false Apostles have risen, making signs and miracles the sole basis of the church to attract those seeking mundane solutions. These “wolves in white clothes like sheep” devour the people by catering to their physical hunger rather than their spiritual need.
• Jesus rebuked those who followed Him only because they ate of the loaves and were filled, rather than seeking the sign of His divinity. He commanded, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life” (John 6:27).
• The message of the church has changed because times are difficult, causing people to seek what they shall eat or wear like the pagans do. However, the will of the Father is that everyone who sees the Son and believes should have everlasting life and be raised at the last day (John 6:40).
• Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life,” emphasizing that He is the source of light and life for all who come to Him. Coming to Christ should involve thinking about eternal life rather than focusing on the anxieties of what to wear or consume.
• True preaching should not be based on man’s wisdom or philosophy but on the wisdom from above given by the Holy Spirit. If teaching only aims to make people happy about their earthly conditions, it has missed the mark of the Gospel.

The Mechanism of Transformation and Divine Nature

Central Spiritual Truth: Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word, believers become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world.

• The Holy Spirit takes us from a normal natural nature into a divine, heavenly nature even while we remain in our physical bodies. This mechanism is defined as “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” which allows us to walk in light and power.
• According to 2nd Peter 1:3-4, His divine power “hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Through these precious promises, we “might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
• The process of transformation involves being “sanctified by the Spirit through the truth,” which is the Word of God. Christ becomes our sanctification and righteousness, cleansing the old sinful nature through the sprinkling of His blood.
• We are “begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). This resurrection is the business of new life, lifting the believer from being dead in sins and trespasses.
• Our new life is kept by the power of God through faith, leading to an inheritance that is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4). This power operates through the preaching of the Word and the movement of the Holy Spirit.

 Walking in the Newness of Life

Central Spiritual Truth: The life of glory requires a shift in determination, moving from material considerations to divine purposes and obedience to Christ’s commandments.

• New life changes our determination, meaning we no longer make decisions based on economic factors like pay or social status. Instead of following materialistic paths, we must consider where God wants us to be within His divine purposes.
• The trial of our faith is much more precious than gold and is intended to be “found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). Even amidst material struggles and manifold temptations, the hope of glory remains our anchor.
• Obedience to Christ’s commandments leads to a deeper manifestation of His love and an introduction to the Father. When the church worships in the Spirit, others should see beyond the individuals and see the Father and Jesus Christ.
• We must control the body and refuse to pursue the things of this world to attain the glorious end of sonship. This requires a new mind and a new spirit that values the reward of a servant over the possessions of a person.
• The glory conferred by God is not according to human understanding or expectation but is a reality we must wait for with patience. May the Lord give us understanding to cherish and stand by this high calling until that reality is reached.

AMEN