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Vol. I Issue 14 December 14, 1997
James 2:1-10
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of
glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him,
Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit
here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil
thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world
rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that
love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you
before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the
law as transgressors.
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all.
There are many in Christianity who follow exactly what the apostle is telling them not to. Many hold in high esteem the great and powerful of this world to their own detriment. They feel that the rich will help them through their wealth. They sincerely believe that the wealthy of this world are actually ``better'' Christians than the poor.
But the apostle has stated that:
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world
rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that
love him?
But the Lord has chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith to inherit his
divine kingdom. Look at those who are preaching on the streets.
Look at the ones who God is to warn about the coming of Jesus
Christ, compared with those who preach that the world is going to continue
on as always, or that the world has years to go before the coming of Jesus.
All of the prophecies can be fulfilled today concerning the
antichrist. This very evening Jesus could call the church
home to meet him in the air. We are living at the time that
where the Lord is no longer coming soon. He is no longer standing
at the door. The time of the Lord's return is so close at hand,
that you might say that it is now. The saints that are waiting upon
the Lord see the hour as being now. They see that there is no longer
any time to put off getting saved. They see many people missing
the call of the Lord to meet him in the air, for they have been contaminated
by the world.
The nominal Christian has become so contaminated by the world, that he no longer realizes that he is missing the mark. He no longer sees himself in the same condition as the ones who were standing outside of the ark after God had already shut the door. They don't realize that they are so close to stepping into eternity that it could be their very next step. The time of the Lord's return is no longer something to be put off. The time of the Lord's return can happen at any moment. We are already in the ark awaiting for God to shut the door like Noah and his family.
Genesis 7
1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for
thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his
female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed
alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days
and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy
from off the face of the earth.
5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the
earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him,
into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of
every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female,
as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were
upon the earth.
Many people of that time heard the gospel and the message of the coming flood. Some, I am sure believed Noah and the message of the coming flood, but as the years went by, and time elapsed, they became complacent and thought that they had more time on their hands. They thought that though they were warned that God was going to flood the earth, they still had a lot of time before the first drop of rain. For they had become contaminated with the world and were not able to see the signs signaling that the time was now for the rain to fall. And when the first rain drop fell they found themselves outside of the ark seeking to get inside and finding the door locked.
Many are in the same condition today, seeking to honor the rich of this world and attempting to become like them. They are willingly contaminating themselves with the ways of this world, while clouding their vision about the signs of the times. There is no more time to waist on making your calling and election sure.
2 Peter 1
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of
Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
Many have fallen asleep and have forgotten the place where the Lord has brought them from. They have forgotten that the wise of this world often ridicule the saints and what they stand for. They have forgotten the signs of the times and that they are all pointing to the very present. They have become contaminated by the world and all they think of is tomorrow. They don't realize that they are standing on the very edge of eternity, and the Lord could sound the trumpet that will call his church home. Will you hear the trumpet call of the Lord? Will you be one of the few that will rise to meet the Lord in the air? The hour of the Lord's soon return is at hand. Now is the time to wash off the contamination of the world and recommit yourself to the Lord Jesus. The ark's door is still open, waiting for all those who would, to enter. God is getting ready to shut the door on this present age. Don't be left behind like the millions in the days of Noah, thinking that there is plenty of time to get on board. Open your heart to the Lord tonight, and invite Him into your life. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the hour to get in the ark, for the door is about ready to be shut.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 389-5870
Services:
Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10:30 AM
Sunday Morning Worship . . . . . . . . . . 12 NOON
Sunday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 PM
Wednesday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 PM