SERMONS - BIBLE TEACHING - SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY - REVELATION
Accuser or Brethren?
July 2, 2023
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Today I am going to talk about the difference between the accuser of the brethren, which is of the devil (Revelation 12:10), and chastening, which is of the Spirit of God (Hebrews 12:5), and rebuke from the brethren and elders (2 Timothy 4:2): which is a brotherly love if in the Lord Christ Jesus and according to the word of God.
There is a confusion and some deception taught, that if you are strongly correcting or rebuking your brethren, you are labeled by some an accuser, of workings of the devil. Also, my brothers and sisters, do not be deceived by teaching that all self-examinations are of the devil, attacking your peace of salvation. It could instead be of the Spirit, correcting you according to the teachings of the Lord our God. How can you tell the difference?
The devil will not accuse you if you are doing something wrong - something outside of the will of God - in your flesh. And such, if your conscience is telling you that you are in sin, that is not likely of the devil. The devil will not remind you of your rebellious standings before God. If your conscience is calling you for a self-examination, meditate on it. Ask yourself, Is this "calling" bringing me closer to God? May the Holy Spirit lead you in the understandings of the way of God, and as such help you to determine if it is of God or the enemy of God.
An accuser of brethren accuses brethren, which are the Lord's, of things which are already covered under the grace, and as such he undermines the Lord's grace/works in you. A motive of the accuser is to pull you away from the Lord, based on guilt only, or false humility, that you are not worthy of his presence. An accuser of brethren does not come with accusations if you are not the Lord's. Just remember that. He's the accuser of brethren, and brethren only. Also, the Holy Spirit does not correct any but those of the children of God. He does not correct the children of disobedience; except they be converted to children of light. So, brothers and sisters, be of good cheer; the attention of the spiritual world is on you, not on the wicked. You, brethren, are either accused by the devil or corrected by the Spirit of God, but wicked are neither. The children of disobedience are under wrath, which is different from being under correction or chastening. The Lord can rebuke the devil, but will not correct him in love. There is a difference. I hope you understand that.
So, when have you been accused, and when are you being corrected? It is not in the gentleness of things, rather, it is in the motive of things. When God is correcting you, either directly or by the "hand" (we are his hand) of brethren, it is done for the good of them which are his. And by good, I mean good for your soul. God will correct you to pull you closer to him, and away from sin. Accuser - the devil, will make even the good servant of God feel guilty of not doing enough in the flesh, or try to fill you with discouragements, want you to give up, and as such hinder the good works of God in you. Ask God for wisdom in discerning what is of the accuser and what is of God. All works of the accuser are against the good works of God in you, but all the works of God in you are good for your soul.
So, the brethren is not an accuser, but a helper, if he rebukes his other brethren of things which hinder their abiding with and in the Lord Jesus.
And as such, whatever and whosoever hinders your relationship with the Lord - making you hot for wrong things or cold for the Lord - separate yourself from it, and them. But hear your brethren's cry of a spiritual inspiration or correction, howbeit feeling as a rebuke at first. Rebuking is not a sin, nor is not of love. The Lord rebukes in love.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir
I Was Not Disobedient unto the Heavenly Vision
July 9, 2023
I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
I had a revelation, which was not just of the letter, but of the flesh and bones (not flesh and blood - there is a difference), a revelation from God, I believe, ministered by the Spirit of God. How can I claim this? A: I am not just claiming, I declare, and as boldly today, even just as that day. B: My testimony is true to the word of God, if examined honestly. C: It is God "talking" which I did not fully grasp at that time (being a babe in the doctrines, Luke 10:21), until it was shown to me in Micah 1:1 that the Lord is "speaking" to the prophet through the vision. The scripture says, "The word of the Lord came to Micah… which he saw…" The word this prophet "saw"… Do not let those "scribes" of today, as they call themselves teachers, to tell you that you cannot see. Yes, you can "see", and receive a deeper understanding of whatever pleases the Lord to reveal to you. And even as it is a spiritual seeing, by vision and other manifestations it can be very real to you. Remember also that God is not a magician or entertainer, so these are not for an amusement. They are to be received in wisdom, if they are in accordance with the scripture, the Bible.
Now, I see somewhat of a parallel with what happened to me after that revelation, with some verses in Acts 26.
Firstly, I was not disobedient unto the revelation (Acts 26:19). How could I? it was heavenly, from God! Should I not declare it? Should I have only kept it laid up in a napkin (Luke 19:20)? No, I declared it.
I shared it with my church's pastors, as I believe this was not only for me, but for the church in whole (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Secondly, it was told about me that I am full of myself. This was much later, after I made a move to share it more abroad (I made hundreds of door hangers and showed it around at the church), two teachers from our Sunday School class said that, basically, I am full of myself, which is what one told Paul in Acts 26:24, after he shared his vision. But understand, my brothers and sisters, in there it was Festus, an unbeliever, who told Paul that he is beside himself. In my case it was a teacher from my church. And they labeled what I've got as from the unclean. See Mark 3:30, how dangerous that might be to the soul. They brought in Isaiah 14:13-14 (noting the word "I, I, I" in those verses), and they mentioned king Saul and the witch of Endor and the Ouija board (which I did not know anything about before). These are the same, which teach that the saved person can reject the knocking of the Lord on the door (Revelation 3:20). Did even Paul, teaching the full grace onto the Gentiles, teach that? What witness is in them, to utter such things without a blush? You cannot reject what is not in you. In the flesh they are, tempting you, while praying to the Holy Spirit to give them guidance before they start their teaching. Is it then a wonder that they do not believe these manifestations of the Spirit of Christ in you? Are they not denying Jesus Christ in you? (2 John 1:7) Am I going to judge them? The judgement is of the Lord. Rebuked, they should be. And that is a good thing. Because if rebuked, then loved by the Lord (Revelation 3:19). But I only write and declare.
And thirdly, later, I was told that this is between me and God. Well, this is better (I talk as man) than calling it of unclean! But seriously, between me and God? Do we tell that to each other? Where is the edifying of the church, the body of Christ? That brings us to verse 28 of Acts 26, where Agrippa, who knows things of Jewish customs and beliefs, tells Paul: "You almost persuaded me to be a Christian". So, this is from Agrippa. Can we not conclude here that my testimony would be received as of the same or better by Agrippa than it was by the church? Brothers and sisters, meditate on it, I pray you!
But I was not disobedient unto that revelation.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir
And Continue unto This Day
July 16, 2023
Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day…
Last week (7/9/23 sermon) I talked about what happened after I shared, in the church, my testimony, and how it is similar, in principal and some points, with what happened to Paul in Acts 26. This is where Paul is sharing his testimony of an encounter with Christ Jesus.
First, I talked about how I was not disobedient unto that revelation (Acts 26:19). Second, it was told about me that I am full of myself (Acts 26:24). Third, I was told that this is between me and God, which is interesting to compare to how measured a response Paul got from king Agrippa (Acts 26:28).
I lost a $50 thousand per year contract with a certain architect from Arizona, because I just could not continue doing things of the flesh for him as he required.
I lost a community of lovely people (doctrinally confused, but lovely) which showed compassion and kindness toward me and my family, and us toward them. And even after the doctrinal collision, the pastor said to the church that I am for them nothing but blessings. This was lovely, but in the flesh. In the Spirit, pastor would rebuke the spirit of error. And the teacher who called my experience of the unclean, or in other words, of the devil, would be seriously talked to. But was shown to me is that they do not believe in those kinds of manifestations of the Spirit. But that some of them in their unbelief called it of the unclean is devastating to the church. Is it not denying the Spirit of Christ in us? That cannot stand. Did I see butterflies or even angels with wings? Did I leisurely talked to God the Father, like to the buddy from the High school? No. I was shown Christ in me, the hope of glory. Christ in you. Christ in us. Amen.
26 even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Brothers and sisters, please do not misunderstand me. I am not complaining here. I would not exchange those few moments for anything of this world. But the word of the Lord does not become void. It is either for edifying of the believers or convicting of unbelievers. It is either of his goodness or of his judgement. But it is always holy and true. How is what was shown to me (the hope of glory) not of the holy and not of the truth? They were not able to say how or why. But some were quick to accuse, as pictured in Acts 26:7.
But I was not disobedient unto that revelation. And having obtained help of God in understanding and in mercies, I continue unto this day (Acts 26:22). What were those helps? For one, I was shown a couple of years before the doctrinal collision that Pastor shall at the end leave me and walk away. And I saw him disappear into the fog. You might say that physically I left the church. But pastor left me spiritually, and him walking away was shown to me a couple of years earlier, before it happened and before any hint that it would happen. What else is there to think of it, than that God was preparing me? Even more so, I was given an understanding of the scripture, which was and is my comfort, armor, helmet, sword and shield. And I have this sweet family also from the Lord, which stood with me. I thank God and our Lord Jesus Christ, for strengthening me.
And I pray for you, brothers and sisters in Christ, that the Father of glory may give you that spirit of wisdom and revelation:
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir
We Shall Be Like Him
July 23, 2023
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
My brothers and sisters. This verse is very near to me. There is more in this verse for me. Lord let me experience it in the spirit! This verse came alive to me. In the spirit and by the Spirit, not in the flesh and blood, but it was very real to me. This verse was revealed unto me.
See, it is nothing new; it has been written for about two thousand years that we shall be changed to the same image, from glory to glory, that we shall be like him. And we shall be like him, even though the apostle John also said, that it does not yet appear what we shall be:
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Some might ask, You are not saying that you experienced and know more than John? Because John said, "not yet." I am sure that John had an abundance of revelations. He was sure and proclaimed it and it is written in the scripture of truth, in the word of God, in your Bible, that WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM.
So why is there, on the one hand, this confident declaration, and on the other hand, the words "not yet"? The apostle John wrote: "It does not yet appear what we shall be." In other words, it is not yet come or in sight, it is not yet in view, what we shall be. It is not visible to the eye, but this is not to say that it is destined to be blind to the spirit of the believer. We are allowed to see, if we believe. And even in our unbelief, God is able to open our eyes. This is a spiritual seeing. The veil was rent (Matthew 27:51), and we are able to see now and are allowed to enter. It is not only for a high priest to enter the Holiest of all, but the High Priest - our Lord Jesus Christ - says, Come! (Matthew 11:28, Revelation 22:17). And not only to come and see (John 1:39), but also to come and dine!
Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
I pray you, brothers and sisters in Christ, do not be afraid to dine with your Lord. What is like dining with the Lord? One way is to hear and read the holy word of God, the bread of life (John 6:35). But I pray you, when you read, enter also. Enter in.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
In 1 Corinthians 13:12 the apostle Paul wrote:
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
We see darkly, Paul says. In other words, we see not perfectly, not clearly, not now, not yet. So, we see partially, and we know in part. But hear him, brothers and sisters - Paul is talking about how we see now, not how we are blind now. Blindness is not of the children of God (2 Corinthians 3:14, 2 Corinthians 4:4).
"But then face to face," Paul wrote. Again, does this mean that we cannot now see the face of the Lord, Christ Jesus? Not only apostles, but hundreds of brethren did see the Lord, even after his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). But you might mention that after forty days, the Lord was parted from them and carried up into heaven (Luke 24:51). Yes, and many years after, he (the Lord) visited Paul, as we read in Acts 23:11:
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
This is the same Paul, who says: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." How is it that Paul is then saying that for now we see through a glass darkly, while it is also said that the Lord stood by Paul and talked to him? Perhaps not face to face, but we know that the apostles have seen the Lord face to face (after his resurrection) before he was carried up again into heaven.
So, what is this "face to face" Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13:12? This is a special face to face, the ultimate knowing of the Lord, as Paul touches on in the same verse:
… now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And also in Revelation we read that "they shall see his face:"
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Face to face. Glory to glory. We shall be like him; we shall behold his face and his glory; we shall be changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord.
You can be among those who put their heads in the sand and say, We do not want anything revealed to us because that is for up there. Really? Was not the Lord Jesus revealed to you? If he was, why are you stopping there? Abide in him. Be in him, as you say he is in you.
God forbid that I would claim salvation only based on that particular revelation and deny you yours. If the Lord God revealed to you that Christ Jesus is the Son of God, your Lord and Savior, and you call upon his name from your heart and out of your mouth, that is your salvation.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
But if you say, "I do not want more," what did you receive!?
I just have to mourn that I must defend the revelation of the scripture among brethren.
Some say that there are no new revelations of the word of God! Exactly! How is it then new to you?
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1 John 2:27
This is that Spirit of God in you, the Spirit of Christ, not just in the letter, because the letter alone kills, but the Spirit is life: alive in you, abiding in you - that is your witness. And that is your salvation. And you in him, you in that Spirit of Christ - that is your green pasture (John 10:9). Lord, help us to make it more than just for church on Sunday, that we would abide in you, and walk in the Spirit, in you, forever. Amen.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray that the Father of glory may bless you abundantly and give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation:
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
There are four spiritual dimensions. Most today teach the width of the knowledge of the word of God. But there is length and depth, and also height. And it is not all prepared for you in heaven and for heaven only. So, do not be afraid to fly high over, go deep into, and walk towards that promise: the kingdom of God in you.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir
Led by the Spirit
July 30, 2023
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Some are teaching that the use of the word "sons" in Romans 8:14 implies maturity, as not a babe (in Christ), but a grown-up son. They say that these Christians just do not become the kind of complete "follow- up" Christians. Still Christians nevertheless, they would say. Yet, would this then make it optional to be led by the Spirit? Is it optional? Let us examine the nature of being led by the Spirit of God.
The Spirit is that witness of righteousness in us, by which we are born again into a “new man," and by which we are led to walk with God (Romans 8:1, 16). However, it is taught that “many Christians who’ve been born again, have never gone on to be led by the Holy Spirit" in them. But, if you are not being led, if that witness of a new birth - Spirit of Christ - does not work in you, how is it dwelling in you? Are you born again?
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
You are being led by the Spirit which works in you against the flesh if that Spirit of Christ dwells in you.
And if you are not led by the Holy Spirit, examine yourselves:
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Is it possible, and is it supported by the scripture, that you can have the Holy Spirit in you, but quench it so much that he is not leading you at all? Do not believe it. There is warring, flesh against the Spirit, and Spirit against the flesh. It is written: For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:17)
So, brothers and sisters, can we believe that God born you of the Spirit to be dead in some of you? This Spirit of life is not working in some of you? It is working in you if you are his - Christ's. And if it is not working at all in you, again, how is it in you? Are you his? If you say, I have that witness in my heart, Christ in me, but he is not working in you, you are deceiving yourself (Galatians 6:7-8). Are you not trying to be your own and only witness of your salvation? You need one more witness. The Spirit of God. As the scripture says: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16). And he - the Spirit of Christ - does not enter and work not.
It is written in the parable of ten virgins (Matthew 25:11-12) that five of them called on him, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Which one of these is prevailing witness? The virgins claiming, they know the Lord, or the Lord declaring, I know you not. Why is the Lord saying to them I know you not? Because he was not in them. They were not led by him but by others. (Matthew 25:1-13) The Spirit of God was not in them, working in them, even they thought they are his.
Christ be in you, the hope of glory.
-By Lubomir