Sunday, November 17, 2024.
Apostle BILLEY.
This earth is not our final place. We spend about a hundred years on earth, so we have to prepare for our eternity.
That’s why Jesus Christ came to earth to save us and show us the way.
Jesus is heaven. He comes from heaven to show us the way to heaven, while we are on earth. He is the way, the truth and the life.
It’s one thing to listen to God’s word, it’s another to practice.
It’s those who practice, who have really listened. God did not come to earth to inform us, but to transform us, to educate us, to prepare us for life on earth as it is in heaven. That’s why He left His Holy Spirit on earth.
The Holy Spirit is very powerful; there’s no one He can’t change. But man resists the Holy Spirit without even knowing it.
To resist Him is to prepare for the road to perdition.
Beloved, let us not accept the doctrine of men. Let’s practice the word, Jesus is coming back soon.
Let’s be aware that it’s only on earth that we can decide to walk with God. After that, it’ll be too late.
Proverbs 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Transgressions are everything that is not to the glory of God, everything that is sinful: wickedness, adultery, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, quarrels, jealousies, animosities, disputes…
Sin destroys destiny. A person who lives in sin cannot prosper.
Having money is not prosperity.
But prosperity according to God begins with the fear of God. What He wants us to do, we do, because we belong to Him.
So we need to strip: first by confessing our transgressions, not hiding them, acknowledging them. Then abandon them, give up and throw this away.
Adam didn’t confess his transgressions; he put the blame on Eve. And Eve likewise accused the serpent. And the snake in every case was a sentence.
To hide one’s transgressions is the way of fools, for it is only on earth that one can be forgiven. Sin is mortal.
We’re not eternal. Don’t let the world, your personal wisdom, your agenda blind you from moving forward with God.
When I ask God for forgiveness for a sin, He forgives me. But if I don’t give up this evil, I’m sure I’ll go back to it again. That’s why the Lord expects us to give up this sin.
And when we leave this sin behind, we obtain mercy.
Luke 16:19-31.
19 There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
This man was on earth and had much wealth.
And Lazarus was poor, covered in wounds, he wanted to feed on the crumbs from the rich man’s table.
22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried..
The rich man went to hell when he died, but the poor man went to Abraham’s bosom.
It’s heaven, but not yet the new city of heaven. All the blessed in Christ go there after their life on earth. This is the abode of the blessed.
23 In Hades he lifted up his eyes, and while he was in torment, he saw Abraham from afar, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The rich man, in Hades, was in torment. These torments are suffering: mental, emotional and physical suffering, the suffering of the absence of a relationship with God, the suffering of torture by demons.
The Lord doesn’t want us to go to hell.
The rich man has seen Lazarus, which means he can see. But that doesn’t mean he can see heaven, or that he has access to heaven.
There’s a memory in man. Lazarus having died first, the rich man could remember. He thought he saw Lazarus in hell, but Lazarus wasn’t there. So he can already imagine Lazarus in heaven.
Luke 16:24 He cried out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus.
That means he can pray, in hell. He has desires. But it was too late, his prayer could no longer be answered.
Let’s do everything to get to heaven, let’s leave behind the life of sin.
Some in their phones have things that don’t honor God.
Others are at war in their own homes, constantly arguing…
Beloved, let’s not follow the devil, let’s not listen to him, let’s resist him. Where we must hate, we must love. If the devil tells you not to forgive, you must forgive. When he tells you not to pray, you have to pray even harder.
Let’s get away from fornication, adultery, debauchery… Don’t accept the devil’s message, he wants you to be his neighbor in hell.
We can go 50, even 100 years without having sex.
Parents, let’s forgive our children, even if they’ve hurt or offended us.
Beware of the way we dress, beware of seductive clothing. Those made to make others look at us.
It’s not everything you do in the world that you have to do, you have to make a distinction. Around the world, men wear earrings; they braid their heads…
We must not follow these things, they are not of the kingdom of God.
It’s true that some Christians did it before they were converted. They have now come to Christ, and are gradually learning to live according to the culture of the Kingdom of God.
So we must not condemn them, but pray for them with great love, so that they let themselves be transformed by the Lord.
What led this rich man to hell?
His choices on earth led him to hell, his everyday decisions. His choices and decisions were not oriented toward God, but toward himself.
Proverbs 14.12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but the way out is the way of death.
How do I know which way is the right way?
That’s what Jesus said.
John 14.6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Beloved, imagine that you stand before God and he says: “Back off me, I don’t know you.
What are you going to do? We need to work on this now.
So we have to probe ourselves, cry out to God to expose what’s wrong. He’ll do it.
And so, ask forgiveness for the evil in your life, and renounce it.
Sometimes it hurts to hear, but it’s better to know. For we must not be the rich man’s neighbors in hell.
If there’s an earthquake, I see myself in it, I imagine and probe my heart. To see how I’m feeling so I can adjust my attitude right away. If I notice that I’m shaking, I have to sort it out, work on it, until I see that in the face of this earthquake, my heart is at peace.
Soldiers prepare for war.
Imagine that tomorrow, your husband or wife wants to leave you, file for divorce. This allows you to see and adjust, to prepare yourself. This way, you can find a solution to prevent this from happening. What’s more, it allows me to pray firmly.
Being prepared means being brave and praying in advance. That way, I could stand up to the headwind with courage.
Beloved, we must be firmly built on the rock. We need to take the time to meditate on the verses the Holy Spirit gives us in church.
Luke 16.25 Abraham replied, “My child, remember that you received your possessions during your lifetime, and Lazarus had his troubles during his; now he is comforted here, and you are suffering.
For this rich man, it was what he considered property that he pursued. But what he considered good was only the material, the goods of the earth. But he didn’t recognize that God was The good above all good; that God’s way is above all things.
So according to the orientations of his heart, he received the final destiny.
God’s words are executive.
Colossians 3.
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Who should look for things from above? The redeemed, because they belong to God.
Some people work 10 hours a day just to buy clothes and shoes.
What are the things from above, from heaven? For example, love for God and neighbor. And even our enemies. Taking care of others, avoiding selfishness.
We must seek love and destroy all hatred and unforgiveness.
Seek the life of sanctification. If a demon tells you that you can’t sanctify yourself, grab that demon’s neck and wring it right.
We must seek to forgive all those who have offended us, and also ask forgiveness of those we have offended.
Humility. Is there ‘humility in hell? No, there’s pride instead. This means that on earth, I must seek humility on earth.
And look for all things like above…
But some people are Christians only in church. On the outside, their behavior is bad.
What things are on earth? Attachment to material things, fornication, adultery, idolatry…
Luke 16.26 Moreover, there is a great chasm between us and you, so that those who would pass from here to you, or from there to us, cannot do so.
Purgatory doesn’t exist. Those in hell cannot communicate with heaven, nor cross over to heaven and vice versa. There are only 2 possibilities: heaven or hell.
We must not invoke the dead, call up the dead of our families. It’s an abomination. The living don’t communicate with the dead.
27 The rich man said, “Please, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers.
28 That he may testify these things to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.
The rich man understood that his brothers were living without God, because they were living as he had lived and could go to hell.
If we put ourselves in his place, the truth will be clear to us and we’ll do what needs to be done now around us.
Some of us have never spoken about Jesus to our parents, family, children or friends.
Let us repent; we must share the word of God with our children, parents, those we love…
Luke 16.31 And Abraham said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if one of the dead should rise.
When someone’s heart is unbelieving, he won’t believe the gospel, he won’t listen to his pastor. Hell is real, that’s the truth. Let’s take God’s message very seriously: we need to remove all evil from our lives, to strip ourselves deeply. And we’ll see the glory of God.
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, Let Us Pray… →
Lord, I belong to you.
Forgive me for all the evil I have done against You.
Help me to strip my heart of all that is not yours.
I beg your pardon.
Reveal the state of my heart, reveal what is evil.
Expose my mind.
Let your light penetrate my soul and expose the works of darkness.
Expose what is in my heart that does not honor you.
Help me to strip my heart of everything that is not of You.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.