‘God’s Prophetic Movement, Message, and Mission and Their Attempted Neutralization by the Devil’
(Read the full Sermon here)
1 Peter 5:8, 9: Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings
are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 503,
504: “Satan is ever at work endeavoring to pervert what God has spoken, to
blind the mind and darken the understanding, and thus lead men into sin. This is
why the Lord is so explicit, making His requirements so very plain that none
need err. God is constantly seeking to draw men close under His protection,
that Satan may not practice his cruel, deceptive power upon them.”
As Seventh-day Adventists at
this 2014 Annual Council, we affirm without hesitation that God has given us a
special mission for these closing hours of Earth’s history, and the devil is
furious.
We see this vividly
portrayed in the book of Revelation. Chapter 10 foretells the experience of our
Advent pioneers as they looked forward to Christ’s return. After the
disappointment, an experience described as “bitter in the stomach,” their
attention was turned to Christ’s work in the heavenly sanctuary and the divine
mandate to “prophecy again to many people, nations, tongues, and kings.”
This prophetic movement,
described in Revelation 12:17 as God’s remnant people who “keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus,” is constituted in only
one body of faith today: the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Thus it is no
surprise to see Satan warring against us with unbridled fury.
Chapter 13 outlines Satan’s
twofold war plan to destroy God’s last-day people: 1. an ideological war of
lies and errors challenging the truth; and 2. firefights — outright persecution
culminating in a death decree against all who defy his presumed authority.
Yet, God’s people are not
merely victims of Satan’s assaults. Revelation 14 reveals the Lord’s
counteroffensive — His remnant people demonstrating His character and
proclaiming His final appeal to the world. The three angels’ messages.
The powerful truth of these
unique messages would break completely the deceptions of Satan if proclaimed as
God intends. The message of the first angel gives the gospel to the world,
announces that we are living in the time of the pre-advent investigative
judgment, and calls on every nation, tribe, tongue and people to honor God as
their Creator by keeping holy His seventh-day Sabbath. The second angel heralds
Babylon’s fall. While finally the third angel warns us — in language too plain
to misunderstand — not to worship the beast, the image of the beast, or receive
the mark of his rebellion, which is a sign of disloyalty to God’s Word.
It is little wonder then
that Satan is doing everything he can to attack the Seventh-day Adventist
movement in an attempt to neutralize our influence in the territory he claims
as his own. As we pray for the converting power of the Holy Spirit and for a
revival and reformation of genuine godliness, the devil opposes every of us every step of the way.
In
The Great Controversy, page 396, we are told, “The prince of evil
contests every inch of ground over which God’s people advance in their journey
toward the heavenly city. In all the history of the church no reformation has
been carried forward without encountering serious obstacles.”
Though large-scale persecution will certainly come,
currently Satan is trying to work from the inside to weaken the church through
dissension, discord, and conformity to the world.
Testimonies Vol. 3, page 434, tells us that “Satan is ever seeking to divide the faith
and hearts of God’s people. He well knows that union is their strength, and
division their weakness. It is important and essential that all of Christ’s
followers understand Satan’s devices and with a united front meet his attacks
and vanquish him. They need to make continual efforts to press together even if
it be at some sacrifice to themselves.”
Satan also tries to
neutralize our efforts by secular diversions such as competitive sports, the Internet,
social media, television, entertainment and so many other distracting
activities. He seeks to absorb people in financial deals and materialistic
matters. He uses poor health habits and lack of respect for God’s natural laws
to enfeeble the mind and benumb the senses. He uses skepticism about the
veracity of the scriptural record of the origin of life and early history. He
tries to bring in controversy and discord over Bible doctrine to sidetrack our
evangelistic witness by getting us to distrust and fight each other.
He urges people to move
independently from the main body of the church. (
Manuscript Release 20, page 369). But the Spirit of Prophecy
compares the church to a victorious army that should move together in unison.
Manuscript 37, 1886, reminds us that
“None must act independently of the center” and independent action “will do
harm and bring in a disorderly state of things.”
We are even warned that at
the end of time Satan will inspire individuals who will preach that reformation
within the church consists in giving up our unique doctrines in order to make
it easier for others to join us.
But listen to what
The Great Controversy, page 509, says:
“Conformity to worldly customs converts the church to the world; it never
converts the world to Christ. Familiarity with sin will inevitably cause it to
appear less repulsive. He who chooses to associate with the servants of Satan
will soon cease to fear their master.”
Brothers and sisters, our only hope is an abiding faith in the Word of God,
trust in inspired counsel, fervent prayer, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Without
these heavenly compass points, we would most certainly fall to Satan’s
misdirection.
....
Ecumenism and Charismatic Music
Pray for those in God’s
remnant church whose distinct witness is being neutralized by ecumenical
activity.
This is my
counsel, it’s not an order: Stay away from any ecumenical associations and events that undermine
the truth revealed in Revelation 13. We are to be leaders in public affairs and
religious liberty. We are to make friends with people and organizations but
avoid ecumenical entanglements purporting to bring unity. Real unity will only
be realized when Christ returns to take us home.
We can see right before our
eyes that the prophetic chapter of Revelation 13 is being fulfilled as Rome
takes ever-greater opportunities to influence the world. Leaders in God’s
church, encourage your pastors to avoid inviting clergy of other faiths to
preach to our churches on Sabbaths. While it is important to be friendly to
those in other churches including clergy and provide opportunities for
spiritual growth, we must not ask those who do not know God’s full truth to
preach sermons from our pulpits. Don’t succumb to the temptation to be so cozy
with other religious organizations that you fall into the devil’s trap of
neutralizing your own effectiveness through unbiblical ecumenical bonds.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:14,
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness
to all the nations, and then the end will come.” This is happening, now.
We are also told that
society will become like Sodom and Gomorrah just before Jesus’ return. This is
happening now, as well. We are seeing the general, popular acceptance of the
sins that brought down fire from heaven destroying cities.
Lying and deception of all
kinds have entered every phase of our society. Predictions of financial
collapse are heard on every hand. Natural and man-made disasters are seen
throughout the whole world.
The Great
Controversy pages 587, 590, 592 and 607, tell us that disasters, moral
decay, and financial woes in this very country will lead apostate ministers to
rally citizens to demand the enactment of the Sunday law, and the world will
follow this lead.
The devil is attempting to
neutralize God’s church through a tendency to accept charismatic and
Pentecostal music and worship approaches that focus on the church members and
those leading out in services rather than to focus on truly worshiping God. A
false understanding of worship brings us to the core of the three angels’
messages since those messages are to turn people back to the true worship of
God and not a false, euphoric experience but rather a genuine spiritual connection
with God through Bible study and prayer.
Just on Thursday, Pastor
Mansfield Edwards, president of the Ontario Conference, was sharing with me his
great burden about this subject and a book which he has written. I hope all of
you will carry a burden to turn people back to the true worship of God.
In addition, spiritualism
will take greater prominence. Television programs depicting the workings of
departed spirits in the affairs of the living are becoming commonplace. Spiritualism
has entered into the lives of average citizens in many ways and its influence
is spreading in every culture around the world. No one is exempt.
The Great Controversy, page 554, tells
us, “Spiritualism teaches ‘that man is the creature of progression; that it is
his destiny from his birth to progress, even to eternity, toward the Godhead.’”
What are children taught in
public schools? Man is a creature of progression, ever evolving upwards.
The Great Controversy, page 588, confirms
that in the final conflict “the line of distinction between professed
Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love
what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to
unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the
ranks of spiritualism.” It is becoming clearer and clearer that our only
defense against the deceptions of the enemy is to fortify our minds with the
Word of God
...
Devil Loses, God Wins!
Brothers and sisters, Jesus
is coming soon! As we near that wonderful day of Jesus’ return, the devil’s
attempts to neutralize God’s Word will be completely defeated by God’s power
and His everlasting biblical message of love and truth. The devil loses; God
wins! This is the ultimate message of the Great Controversy theme and it is our
great privilege to allow God to use us in this last great spiritual effort to
bring the truth of Jesus to every human being on the planet — to “reach
the world” through God’s incredible power.
If you have any doubt as to
God’s overriding power and ultimate triumph in the fight against the devil,
read the last three chapters of Revelation revealing God’s incredible victory. Read
the last three chapters of “The Story of Redemption.” Those chapters titled,
“The Coronation of Christ,” “The Second Death,” and “The New Earth” will give
you incredible comfort and assurance.
Our only future hope is in
our personal connection with Christ. Our hope as God’s people, your hope and my
hope, is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.
Are you willing to submit
today to God’s power in your life, to bring about revival and reformation, to
protect you from the roaring lion and his attempts to neutralize God’s remnant
movement? As a Seventh-day Adventist leader on the brink of eternity, are you
willing to empty your heart of self and allow Christ His rightful place? Heaven
is depending on our allegiance and submission to our crucified, risen and
soon-coming Savior, Jesus Christ. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus
blood and righteousness.”
Now let me ask each of you:
Are you willing to allow Christ to fully control you now and in the exciting
future God has prepared for His remnant church? If so, would you stand with me as
we sing that marvelous testimony in Hymn No. 522 that our hope is built on
nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness and that when darkness seems
to veil His face, I rest on His unchanging grace? What a powerful testimony to
the One who has called us to submit to Him and see His final victory fulfilled
in the proclamation of the three angels’ message!
