Sermons by Pastor Ernest Amstalden (Page 39)

You Are Enlisted

As one man once said:
“I am a soldier. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up. I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me or lure me. I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name and building His kingdom. No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards or candy, or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for or catered to. I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. I will win. My God has and will continue to supply all my need. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. The devil cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me, and hell cannot handle me. I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my commander calls me from His battlefield, He will promote me to captain and then allow me to rule with Him. I am a soldier in the army, and I’m marching claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier, marching heaven-bound. Here I stand!” Unknown Author
You say; well I did not sign up as a soldier, all I wanted is to get to heaven. Well, you will not get there without a war. Jesus came into this world to win that war once and for all. But not everyone knows about it. WHY? We fight the greatest war that has ever been fought. This war started long before God created Adam and Eve. It started in heaven, and eventually came to this earth. And this war is not over until all His enemies are made His footstool.

The Objective of TRUE Warfare

The objective of that warfare was very clear. Get rid of the promised Messiah, the one who would break the chains of bondage in the lives of people; the one who came to set the captives free. There is another spiritual warfare going on that is not primarily focused on spiritual beings, but ON OUR MIND. The Apostle Paul was exposing an entirely different warfare that was raging especially in the church at Corinth.
People crept into the church at Corinth that were false teachers, accusing Paul of living according to the flesh. They said that when personally present among them, he would not have the courage to confront them, but once gone away, he then would write them a strong rebuke in form of a letter. They said that such a person is a coward. They accused this man of God to be motivated by evil self-interest, interested in money and power.
TWO IMPORTANT POINTS IN SATAN’S DOCTRINE WERE ANNOUNCED BY HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN WHEN HE FIRST APPROACHED THE WOMEN.
First, there was a bold denial of a statement God Himself made
Second, there was Satan’s assurance that if she would act independent from God, they would be as gods.
How can we take down such fortresses? Remember, the Objective of true warfare is to make people change the way they think. And such can only be done BY USING THE WEAPON, THE SPIRITUAL WEAPON GOD HAS GIVEN US.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, THE WORD OF GOD. IT’S ONLY THE TRUTH THAT WILL SET US FREE FROM OUR OWN PRISON, FROM OUR OWN FORTRESSES. They either become our prisons and eventually our tombs, or they need to be demolished by the Truth, the word of the living God.

What Shall We Do?

It is extremely valuable for all of us the be reminded why we are here on this earth, why we have been called into His kingdom and why we have been placed by the Holy Spirit into this local church, Victory.
God the Father sent His son Jesus Christ to this earth with a VERY SPECIFIC PURPOSE. Everything God does He does with a specific purpose in mind. As His children, we ought to follow His example.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that we SHOULD HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. During His earthly ministry, Jesus constantly reminded His disciples and His followers that He came WITH A PURPOSE. No one could side track him, no one could lead Him down another path.
If we want to believe in Him, we must embrace everything He ever said.
If we want to believe in Him, we must accept the Word of God as THE WORD OF GOD and not the Word of Man.
If we want to believe in Him, we must OBEY HIS WORD, not the words of man, religious leaders or denominations. OBEYING HIS WORD IS ALL THAT COUNTS.
We need to be reminded of this simple truth on a regular basis. Victory is not hear to entertain you. We are not here to make you feel good or to tell you what an incredible species you are. We are not in existence to make a social impact or to lead political rallies. That’s not the local churches job. Our job is to lead you to Christ and once you are in the kingdom of Christ, to equip you for the work of the ministry, to do the works of God.
This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.

It’s Who You Are

If you would have to give a definition of who Jesus is, what would it be?
Peter simply stated: You are the Christ, the anointed one, the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God.
The apostle Paul in the letter to the Colossian church is getting all excited when he giving them a definition of who this Jesus Christ is.
Notice how valuable that treasure is. First, the man finds the treasure and immediately recognizes HOW VALUABLE that treasure is. He does not tell anyone about his find, because he is concerned that someone else would take it from him. His heart is filled with great joy as he goes and liquidates everything he owns so he can go and buy the field in which the treasure is hidden. IN OTHER WORDS, TO GET THE TREASURE, HE IS WILLING TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING ELSE.
In the second parable, the man is portrayed as a merchant, a person of great wealth. He is seeking pearls so he could resell them with a profit. However, in his search He came across ONE VERY SPECIAL PEARL OF GREAT VALUE, he also was willing to go and sell everything he owned so he could get that particular PEARL. The treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price are both POINTING TO THE GREATEST TREASURE OF ALL TIME, JESUS CHRIST. In order to get that treasure we must be willing to give up everything.
Today’s evangelistic sermons are full of sugar that brings the hearer to a temporary “sugar-high” only to crash a few hours and days later.
The truth is that the person who finds the treasure, who finds the pearl, never has enough to procure this treasure unless he or she is willing to let go of everything.

Keep On Believing

The birth of Jesus Christ was the beginning, not the end of God’s good news to all men. The Christian life begins with a new birth, which is great news and brings much joy. However, that is just the beginning.
Growing in grace and in faith is necessary to see the promises of God being fulfilled in our lives.
Today, we claim to believe in the saving Grace of God Almighty, but that’s about how far it goes. When confronted with biblical truth, we simply say: Well, I just have a hard time believing that God would do that for me. That’s what the Hebrew writer means when he says that God has no pleasure in those who draw back.
Spiritual strength has never come to us by OBEYING COMMANDMENTS. Those people who drop out of the race, AND who have no perseverance to the end have simply stopped trusting the promises of the living God. They are children of the living God, they have been protected by the blood of the lamb, but they are being robbed of all the promises God has given them for their future.
The Apostle Peter simply explains that it is these promises that draw the heart to God in faith. In fact, the great command of the New Covenant is TO BELIEVE. The Israelites did not have many words of God they could hang unto, but what they were given was enough to lead them out of bondage.
You and I have the written word of God, but without feeding on the promises of the Word, not faith life will be strong. Without the word we are not able to continue on and persevere.

They Recognized Him Instantly

In the Gospel of Matthew is recorded the itinerary of ONE BUSY DAY OF JESUS’ LIFE when he walked among the people called by God to be His own.
The answer Jesus gave them at the end of a very busy day is the answer you and I are in desperate need to understand.
Jesus came to this earth to do the Father’s will. What was the Father’s will? THAT JESUS WOULD COME TO THIS EARTH TO DIE.
Jesus is the only person ever born into the world for the sole purpose TO DIE.
Simeon was sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In order to be such a man, one has to be willing to forsake all that hinders him to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Jerusalem was a busy religious place, and certainly the Temple was filled with people every day.
He knew the Scriptures and believed that the Messiah would come to rescue Israel. HE OBEYED THE HOLY SPIRITS PROMPTING TO GO TO THE TEMPLE EXACTLY AT THE RIGHT TIME. Obedience to God is what makes you recognize Him instantly.

God Recovers It All

Glory to God in the highest, AND ON EARTH PEACE, good will toward men! Is there peace on earth today?
Has there ever been peace on earth since that announcement was made?
Satan is stealing SPIRITUAL TREASURES – THINGS THAT HAVE VALUE WITH GOD AND ARE OF ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE. It is these spiritual treasures GOD CAME TO RECOVER. That’s the reason why Jesus came to this earth. Because God created them to worship and enjoy Him forever.
And it is this truth that has been stolen from the people’s consciousness AND JESUS CAME TO RECOVER IT ALL.
What did Satan STEAL FROM YOU? • What about YOUR FIRST LOVE?
There is no limit and no end to the power he wants to exhibit in our lives. Listen, God can and will keep his people on fire for him. Just don’t believe the lie that we have to mellow down.
• What about YOUR FAITH?
There is a silent theft going on in our spiritual walk: Satan steals our faith.
We once totally depended on God for everything. Circumstances could not bring us down, we simply trusted God to bring us through it all. What happened to your faith? Satan knows that NOTHING IS AS IMPORTANT AS GENUINE FAITH IN A BELIEVERS LIFE. He knows that once he is able to rob us of our faith, we immediately will develop a mindset of self-effort.
God wants YOU TO RECOVER IT ALL. David learned the powerful truth that GOD RECOERS IT ALL. He has a way of getting back what has been ripped off. What the enemy steals, God alone is able to recover. That’s why Jesus came to this earth. You can recover the faith, the childlike trust in the risen, supernatural Jesus Christ – the kind of faith that changes the way you live, talk, and feel.

What’s Your Plan?

Most people will go through life without having ever taken the time to really forge a PLAN FOR THEIR LIFE. What do I want to do with the rest of my life? Some say, well, I don’t plan anything because GOD IS IN CHARGE OF MY LIFE.
If Jesus would have lived on this earth with such an attitude, you and I would spend eternity in everlasting hell fire.
I am so thankful that God the Father has a plan for His entire creation, and especially for me personally.
To find the Biblical answer to what God’s plan is for you and me, we need to turn to John 1:1-14.
Let’s look at the Christian landscape of today, we see similar patterns.
People today can get very excited about Jesus if they see
• That he can benefit them
• That everything will be going great if they “accept Him”
• That He can fix them and solve their problems
What will happen, what will be their plan when Jesus DOES NOT HEAL THEM, DOES NOT GIVE THEM THE BENEFITS THEY DEMAND, DOES NOT FIX THEIR PROBLEMS AND DOES NOT HEAL THEIR MARRIAGE?
The statement: HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER… forms the foundation of all Christian talk about God. It is the incarnation that makes this possible. Excitement about Christmas and that Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, does not mean that we UNDERSTAND WHO GOD IS.
Listen, God’s supreme revelation of Himself is the incarnation, the Word becoming flesh and speaking to us at our level of UNDERSTANDING.

God’s Glory In Prophecy

In John 1:14 the people were able to behold the glory of the Father at Jesus’ first coming. When Jesus returns the second time with the same glory of the Father, the glory will be seen by all people. The Sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven just before Jesus will set foot on this earth again. This sign will be the SHECHINAH GLORY.
The greatest manifestation of the Shechinah Glory, especially to Israel, will be in the messianic kingdom. God’s glory will be a visible manifestation in the holy of holies during the millennial kingdom.
The new Mount Zion, described in various parts of the Bible, will be an exceeding high mountain with a 50 mile square plateau on top with the new city of Jerusalem on the south side and the millennial temple on the north side. But over the entire mountain will be the visible manifestation of the Shechinah Glory just as this glory was over Mount Sinai in the Old Testament period.

God’s Glory – Part 2

November 8, 2015
Pastor Ernest Amstalden
Biblical Interpretation, Prophecies in the Bible
Revelation

No one will be able to enter the temple of God UNTIL THE 7 PLAGUES of the seven angels are completed. That is, at the end of the 7 year tribulation period.
We traced the appearance of God’s glory from the Garden of Eden, through Moses’ life and eventually ended up in the wilderness Tabernacle where God’s glory was manifested among the Hebrews.
Now, we pick up from there and jump to the Joshua and Judges period in the Old Testament.
After Joshua’s time came the period of Judges of which Samuel was the last ruling judge of Israel. It was Samuel that was chosen by God to eventually anoint the first King of Israel. And it was Samuel that anointed King David, the man after God’s own heart.
Just as the first King of Israel was chosen by the people, and eventually rejected by God, so will be the first world ruler, the antichrist, chosen by the people, but rejected by God. It will be the second world ruler, the man after God’s own heart, that will be God’s chosen one.
However, just as Moses prayed earlier that the visible manifestation of God’s glory would dwell in the tabernacle forever, so did Solomon here pray to God that the visible manifestation of His Shechinah Glory would dwell in the temple forever.
But God would not answer the prayer of Moses and Solomon at their time.
What happened to the glory of God? Today, people get all excited about the arch of the covenant, asking the question: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ARK OF THE COVENANT? Well, that piece of furniture is just that. The real question should be. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SHECHINAH GLORY?