SERMONS - May, 2023

… and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. Jeremiah 3:15

Pastors, he will give, who have a mind to serve God, not God serving them. The latter ones molded their God, the true God (not a god of wood or silver or gold or iron, but the true God), to their own images, and to their own purposes and to their own beliefs. What? You say, No? How is it then, that the Church is divided? This is a plague in our churches—divisions based on men's added teachings. Is that why they say, if you do not agree: Make your own church, get a couple of sponsors and start your own? But I do not want to make my own church. I want to belong to God's one church, united in one Spirit, and not to that which is of this or that banner, of this or that building.

Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Jeremiah 6:16

These churches of ours serve many spirits, not one Spirit of God. What, no? How is it if they would serve one Spirit, they cannot agree on one doctrine? Does the Holy Ghost make dozens of doctrines? God forbid! If there are dozens of doctrines, they are the creations of dozens of spirits. If they cannot agree, then at the most only one is right, or all of them are wrong. They cannot agree, not because of the lack of understanding (we pray to the Father of glory that he may give us that spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him), but because they want to have their own. And they pass their own understandings to the next generation of pastors and teachers, of men. You might say: O, it is all prophesized, the apostasy of the church. Yes, there are some churches, which we cannot called the churches of God, even though they bear his name. Woe to the church, of which the Lord will remove their candlestick from their place!

In one way, in the way of understanding the Spirit, there are two major camps in our churches.

One camp does not believe in practically any manifestations of the Holy Ghost in this dispensation (except that he might be able to turn on lights for a sign for a certain preacher). These, of this camp, are robbing themselves of the blessed effects of the power of God.

Another camp says yes to the full power of the Holy Spirit, but they introduced unscriptural, ungodly ways of worshiping that same power. You see, both sides are, in principle, "scripting" the Holy Spirit. They are confused scribes, not prophets, though they act like prophets. Isn’t it only prophets who can add to the word of God by the Word of God? They are not prophets, but they are adding.

What then? Do you leave your church? Where would I go, you say.

What I am about to say is not to be taken against a particular church or denomination—only as a sampling of the camps mentioned previously. This sermon would be much longer if I listed them all.

If you were raised in some of the Baptist churches and such, stay in that local church, but do not divide the word of God by taking away from it or adding thereto. Rather, divide the truth—what is in the scripture—from the error (what is not in it). Handle the wheat and separate it from the chaff. Do not say in the Sunday class, while asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in your teaching, that the saved person can reject the Lord's knocking on the door, excusing it and confusing it in your mind that you are enforcing the doctrine of salvation and grace. Who did put it into your thoughts? Is it of the Holy Ghost? Can the Holy Spirit utter out rebellious thoughts against the Lord Jesus? That was your flesh speaking, my brother. Will you be next to say, If you sin, be happy, it should have no consequence? God forbid. Meditate about this; by what spirit you are sealed, if you can utter and teach those things? And another brother says, Ha, ha, we don’t even know how to follow the two great commandments of God. To our shame, my brother, to our shame. Do not say, I can murder but still saved. Even if you are saved (and once saved, always saved, sealed forever) consider that which you uttered from your mouth was again not uttered out by the Holy Ghost in you. The Holy Spirit does not utter things against himself. The Spirit of Christ does not make you feel secure in your salvation by putting rebellious thoughts into your mind and heart against himself. Can you be a soldier, my brother? Yes. Can you be in the police force? Yes. Can you be a murderer? No! There is a gulf of separation between God-loving officers and soldiers exercising their power in the line of duty, and between cold murderers, seeking blood. And my brother and sister, say yes to the powers of the Holy Spirit in you. If he is in you, is he not even then around you? Ask of your heavenly Father, the Father of glory, that he might give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Amen.

If you were raised in the Catholic church, I pray you, do not worship Mary (it is idolatry), and neither the pope. Worship God. Do not go into the booth of your priest you call your father to ask for forgiveness; ask the Holy Father in heaven directly for forgiveness and blessings any time of the day. Pray to God. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus to save you, not one of the saints!

And if you were raised in some of the Pentecostal churches, do not let yourself believe that you must somehow have or need to learn or be coached into the speaking in tongues. And never pretend to do it or try to get it out of you without the Holy Spirit overwhelming you! Remember, he is doing it through you; you are not doing it yourself in the flesh.

There is this young man, who wants to be a pastor in a certain church. His particular church believes on Jesus, they say. But how do they believe, and what about their other beliefs? They are of men, not of God. Now, the young man will not listen to the reasoning that his church beliefs are not in the scripture of truth, because he is SOLD to the idea of being a pastor in that church, and he cannot, is not willing to give it up, and such his heart is locked from true understanding of the word of God. He is settling to serve his church's image of god, which resembles the true God. And he is satisfied. He thinks he is tempted by another to give up what the other calls the errors in the church's doctrine. But he is not tempted, because God does not tempt men. That is his trial—to give it up. Not saying to give up on being a preacher, but to repent and hear from the scripture of truth, not of men. Lord, help him!

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.      2 Corinthians 11:4

And all you Christians, call yourselves that; by the name of Christ Jesus, Christians, not by those man-made names of dozens of denominations and such.

Do you see it, brother and sister? You be the priest of your own soul, with the Holy Ghost in you, knowing that your only High Priest, Christ Jesus (he is Lord of all), is in heaven sitting at the right hand of the throne of God.

Christ be in you, the hope of glory. 

-By Lubomir

The Same Body of Christ

I have not heard anybody preach on this the way I will, and you might ask a question: Why talk about the gospel preached to the dead? My brothers and sisters, because they lived once they heard the good news, were freed from their captivity and went up to heaven with the Lord!

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Psalm 68:18

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:8-10

Our Lord, when he descended, not to hell, but into Abraham's bosom, went to preach to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19). He went to preach the gospel to the dead, so they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit (1 Peter 4:6). These righteous souls were not yet in heaven, but in Abraham's bosom (place we read about in Luke 16:22), waiting for their redemption - to be freed from the captivity of sin, until he (Christ Jesus) died for their, and our sins on the cross. And he came for them and then they knew him face to face by the name JESUS. And they were taken to the third heaven from Abraham's place. No more Abraham's place. No more waiting place. Alleluia. He (Jesus, our Lord) led captivity captive. Abraham, come forth!

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Peter 4:6

As such, our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying on the cross, and by his resurrection, became an atonement for them - of the ages "before the cross," for them "at the cross," and for us - of the age "after the cross." So he came back to his brethren, those assembled in the room (John 20:19), and for his brethren in Abraham's place.

Before the cross

"Before the cross," there was heaven - place for the Holy, Holy, Holy; and hell - place for rebellious souls; and Abraham's waiting place, called Abraham's bosom - a place for those who died in faith, being declared righteous according to the scripture, and desiring an heavenly place, a place of their God. In Hebrews 11 we read:

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

At the cross

"At the cross" was a thief who believed and received the promise: To day you shall be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). And he took him to that paradise and brought that paradise up high. This is the paradise Paul is speaking about in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 2 and 4, that paradise in the third heaven. Also, at the cross were some of his disciples, not many: John and the mother of Jesus; others were in hiding, in disbelief and confusion. But what a joy, after they believed their Lord was risen:

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:25-26

When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. John 2:22

After the cross

"After the cross," what a wonderful phrase. It is finished, said our Lord Christ Jesus on the cross. And he died for our sins, and he is risen. And we believe.

… 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. Romans 10:9

Amen.

Now, those of God, those of his by Jesus (he is the way, the truth and the life) - of ages before the cross, at the cross and after the cross - were given and are still given this gift of God, as he, Christ, gave gifts unto men (Ephesians 4:8-10) and received gifts for men (Psalm 68:18): the gift to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, received to his glory, received into the body of Christ. These are not different groups of saints, as some teach, before the cross and after the cross, but of the same body now, as the scripture teaches. In the scripture, in John 10:16, we read:

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:16

The other sheep are Gentiles, of which our Lord is speaking, that he will bring them under the same fold, as him being one shepherd, the Shepherd for all. These other sheep shall be, as foretold by our Lord Jesus, and are now fellow heirs of the promise, and of the same body as we read in Ephesians 3, verse 6:

... that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Ephesians 3:6

Gentiles - us, being fellow heirs ... Fellow heirs with who? With Abraham! Fellow heirs of what? The same body. What is this same body? The Body of Christ. We in him and he in us. We are all the same body of Christ: two flocks, one Shepherd.

I would just like to mention, before the closing, that as I told you about Abraham's bosom, this other place, besides hell and heaven: do not get an idea that this kind of place still exists. Christ said, It is finished. His work of salvation is finished. Now there are only two places for a soul after man dies. The Heaven or the Hell. Those who teach of some kind of third place still existing now, a purgatory of some kind, are not teaching from the scripture of the truth. Those who pray for the dead, O, you confused. You really believe that you can be saved after you die, or those you pray for can be saved after they die? Isn't it really that you are still in your sin, the Spirit of Christ being not in you, as you believe that those who die were in their sin, and as such that is your excuse to say: Well, if they were in sin and can still be saved after they died, so I can be in sin and be saved, after I die. No, you living soul! Ask Jesus, the Son of the living God, to save you now, to come into your heart, to be your Lord, while you live. Because if not, if you die not in the Lord, then you die and be rejected by him, and die twice, condemned for ever. And to some of you, my Baptist brothers, do not put your hope in what I call "instant purgatory," how you believe that Christ will show you his terror before he receives you. Admit, you are believing this as a way of excusing your sinful behavior today. My brothers and sisters, there is only one way to be received by him into his place: with love and opened arms, not with the list of your sins. Sins of God's children are forgiven, forgotten, blotted out, like they never existed. But, if your conscience is whispering to you that you might be received with terror by our Lord, be rather in terror now. Examine yourselves. Are you of his?

Christ be in you, the hope of glory.

-By Lubomir

 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. 

2 Corinthians 3:18

Where to start here, my brothers and sisters? This verse is very near to me. There is more in this verse for me. I experienced it, in the spirit! But it was and still is very real to me (My Testimony).

I believe that when we grow in Christ, reading the word of God, there are verses there, which might speak louder to us, which might be more personal to us, which are revealed to us in different depth and height, in different breadth and length than what is on the surface of understanding of that verse or passage or chapter, so on. The word comes alive to us. I am sure some of you have had that experience in one degree or another. It's a blessing and should be shared and received with joy among the brethren. 

It is not that a different truth was introduced to us, but the truth took another depth so your understanding may be enlarged. Never consider the "new" truth which you "see" in the text if it is contrary to other truths in the scripture of truth, what we call the Bible. There is no new truth. But on the other hand, do not dismiss others' revelations if they are not contrary to the scripture. Search the scripture. Discern, what is of the spirit of error and what is of the spirit of truth. Because perhaps, it might not be a new truth you are introduced to, but perhaps a new depth, or length, or height, or breadth (width) to those truths taught in the bible. Have the scripture continually teach you and reveal to you the things of God. Consider this prayer of Paul for the brethren:

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, 

Eph 1:15-20

Note, my brothers and sisters, that these which, Paul prays for, are in the Lord Jesus and have love of saints in them; they are believers in Christ. And yet, he prays for them to the Father to give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. That the eyes of their understanding may be enlightened. Why, they are saved, they are in Christ, move on, Paul! (Here I speak foolishly). Brothers and sisters in Christ, do not tell yourselves and convince yourselves that in this life you must live in a spiritual desert - that all of the pasture is exclusively in heaven. Most of it is, but he is gracious, and he just might give you a little peak or experience, a "smell" or a "taste" of it. Or even let you be in it for just a moment! In the spirit and by the Spirit. But to those who believe not and seek not, and ask not? May they receive? Pray: Lord, I do believe, help my unbelief.

The world is that spiritual desert, its "light" is the darkness, its Sun is the black hole, and it shall perish and be replaced by a new. But, especially now, in this dark world, if not always, let the Lord put a pasture before you. In your desert the world is scorching your faith with their sunlight and choking your hope with their tares and robbing your charity with their lies. Why then also let your spiritual experience hunger and thirst in the desert? Besides a fake oasis and mirages in the desert, aren't there true places of water, sanctuary to the passing traveler? Can our Lord lead you there, if you believe? You might say, I live by faith, not by sight. Blessed are you! You were revealed that Jesus is your Lord and Savior. See this, revealed! Some were present where our Lord Jesus was walking. He was in their sight, but they lacked the faith to see him as their God. But to some it was revealed, and they did see him, what he truly was and is, Christ, the Son of the living God. This is a spiritual seeing.

And you might say: This is all I need to see and know; I do not need more. Let the Lord determine that for you. Do not force that upon yourself. You are in front of that beautiful gate to that place of pasture, or even already in the place and the gate is behind you. You've been sealed. What is preventing you to keep walking forth in your spiritual walk with the Lord? You might say, They tell me that it is not for now. Do you understand, do you understand, it is not now, your preacher says. I've heard it, too. That certain one was explaining that you can't see God face to face and live as even Moses is told in Exodus 33:20. The scripture is true and does not lie. But can I also say that many brethren had seen the Lord Jesus, Godhead bodily, and live!? Before and after his resurrection, and after his ascending to heaven! So, about Exodus 33:20, to use this one verse or passage, or any other verse to paint with a broad brush a picture of spiritual desert (and desert only in seeing or not seeing God) for you is not a complete teaching of the word of God. This certain preacher, in the same sermon about Exodus 33:20, was enchanting his audience with his own little miraculous experience with God. He said that he asked God to turn on a light in a certain room as an answer to his (preacher's) question. And God did provide the answer by turning on that light, preacher said. So why this miraculous experience is OK, but not another? Are we in God's personal counsel? And also, would this experience be of any spiritual value if the preacher did not have some faith in God? Would he say, God answered me? Without faith, it would be just a sight to question. We walk by faith, not by sight. For this preacher, his experience was a little oasis in the desert. So, it is not all just desert; there is some green pasture in it - even he who preaches Exodus 33:20 is admitting it by his own spiritual experience. And I am sure he has more.

So, what are the limits to, where, in what form, and how believers in Christ experience God? What about your experiences? Were they from God? How can we tell? By shining the light on it. What light? He is the Light, the Word of God is his name. The answer to whether things are of the spirit of truth - the Spirit of God - or not, is in the word of God, the scripture of truth, the Bible. For example, a certain one tells you that God told him that he (God) is proud of him. I would believe it, but the word "proud," and such like, is not what God uses to encourage you. It is not that way in the Bible. The opposite is true. Find the word "pride" or "proud" in your bible and you get the idea. Even some preachers do not realize this, and they proudly (ouch) declare in the front of the altar that they are proud of their school kids' achievements and such. You might say, What is the big deal; do not be so legalistic! I am not being legalistic, my friend, I am just teaching you that God saying "I am proud of you" to someone is not according to the scripture. And wouldn't it be in pride if you were still defensive about associating good things with a word associated with evil? So, we can tell with some confidence which experiences are of God and which are not.

I somewhat understand those skeptics, hearing or reading about this or that one having a heavenly after life experience, seeing butterflies and hearing from God's beautiful female angel with wings; and to another Mary appeared and said to pray more rosaries to get to heaven, and so it goes. These are not according to the scripture. Is Mary the mediator between men and God? Christ Jesus is, and only him! That one is easy. Are there female angels with wings in heaven? Those with wings around the throne are called beasts and they don't look cute by men's standards. Are these people, with these claims, liars? Confused they are ...

The scripture teaches us to discern what is of the Spirit of God. I believe that God even today can manifest himself to believers in miraculous ways. The tragedy is that many of those who say no to that, point to the abuse of it by men as a reason for their disbelief. Isn't that like saying because there is bad, there is no good? Or because there is evil here, there is no God here? God is here and his name is the Holy Ghost!

As to a spiritual experience of a man I know, brothers and sisters, I lie not. As a babe in Christ, even not as young, but still a babe in the doctrines of the scripture, it was revealed to me, what it is to be in the body of Christ. After this "experience," I was happily sharing it around saying, We shall be like him, we shall be like him!

A couple of teachers labeled it as from the unclean. I replied, Will the unclean spirit say, "Let me reveal to this man how great and clean it is to be in the Lord, in his glory?" Will the unclean spirit benefit? No, the Spirit of the Lord, Christ Jesus, will have the glory in the midst of brethren. See, people do have all kinds of experiences, but not all are scriptural. The Spirit of God does not give holy experiences which are contrary to the word of God. So if my experience is supported by the scripture, why is it labeled as from the unclean? These are the same teachers who teach in the Sunday School class that a saved person, in Christ, can reject the knocking of the Lord on the door. Can that happen? In the flesh, it happens. Is it inspiring teaching? Is it from the Holy Spirit? Does the Holy Spirit teach against the Spirit of Christ? They pray to the Holy Ghost for guidance, and after, they utter things of the spirit of error. And they say to each other: We can do this, we are saved, we were forgiven on the cross, we can teach these rebellious things (and they do and more) and still be received of God. Surely, God is full of grace. But do we teach sin so grace can abound? And if you say, Brother, correct yourself, ask for forgiveness. They say, I don't have to ask for forgiveness - that's works. Works, yes, of the Holy Spirit in you, which you deny based on a false doctrine you hold.

About my experience (being in the body of Christ) what if some preacher says to you: "Anybody who says I am the new revelation of Jesus Christ is a demonic heretic to be renounced. And then forget about it and then pay attention to the real Jesus." He would be right if this was new. And if I would be taking the place of Christ himself. I did not say, I am Christ. I did not claim that I am in his place and role, the Christ, himself, of his own dwelling and light. God forbid! Rather it was shown unto me what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, glory to glory, as being changed into the same image, by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). But, if you were looking for the Christ, I am not he; he is risen.

To the other point, is it a new understanding that we are the members of the body of Christ? They might understand it only as the assembly of saints in their own body, but that body, each body, will be of Christ's - meaning from the body of his, having our own, but of his. Having our own personality, but also the mind of Christ, and in his body, presentable as his sons to the Father.

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:

Colossians 1:26-28

What is it then? On one side there is that spiritual desert taught in the churches today, and on the other side that spiritual swamp being ministered, but also keep in view that there is that green pasture of God.

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 

John 10:9

Consider what I say, but let God teach you. Ask the Holy Spirit, I pray you.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

1 Corinthians 2:13

Christ be in you, the hope of glory.

-By Lubomir