PROPHETIC WORDS FROM GOD TO YOU
STEPHEN RICHIE
In Noah's day there was great violence and corruption. God told Noah that He was distressed about His people's actions. God instructed him to build an ark that would protect his family from the coming flood that would cover all the earth and rid the world of all the violent and corrupt people on the earth. Noah followed God's instruction on faith. When the ark was complete and full of every species of animal and provisions, God put Noah and his family and all the animals in a sealed ark and kept them and his family safe in the ark as the flood waters covered the land. The people had never seen rain before and they all laughed at Noah and his efforts of building the ark.
It wasn't long after the waters accumulated that the people were no longer laughing but screamed in hysterics as one by one those that were outside the ark perished in the flood. There was nowhere on earth that was safe for anyone except those inside the ark. God had judged the world with a flood that lasted forty days and nights until every living thing that was outside the ark had perished. These people did not heed the teaching of Noah. (Genesis 7:13-24) His prophesying was laughed at........until the flood came. God was certainly patient with the people but when the hour came, there was no more time for them. (Genesis 6:13) God displayed His wrath in an awesome way. When the water receded and Noah was allowed to leave the ark, there was only his family and the animals to walk the face of the earth. (Genesis 8:21)
There was a latter time after the release of the Hebrew nation from Egypt and Pharoah when the Hebrews were at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses instructed all the people to consecrate themselves. Moses and Aaron and the priests were to ascend on the top of the mountain. (Exodus 24:8) After Moses came down from the mountain he told all the people what God had instructed them to do. Moses had The Book of The Covenant and read it to them. They agreed to follow the instruction of The LORD. Moses took the blood from the sacrifice that had been prepared and sprinkled it on the people saying, "This is the blood of The Covenant that The LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." The Blood Covenant had been delivered and God had told his people through Moses how they were to live and that they should not break The Covenant that had been given to them. Young bulls provided the blood for The Covenant. Blood from animals that were sacrificed provided The Blood Covenant for the Hebrew people.
It was shortly after Moses had gone back to the mountain for forty days to be with God that the people became restless and wanted to know where Moses had gone. Aaron was surrounded by the people and they wanted to make their own gods....so Aaron took their gold and made an idol. A calf of gold, then a festival, then violence and corruption and more sin. The Hebrew people had already sinned and broken The Covenant that they had agreed to with Moses that came from a God Whose Presence the people could see on the top of the mountain. Theirs was a faith without action and not in their heart. The Hebrew people were insecure without their leader, Moses, and this was manifested by their construction of an idol. It is amazing and significant that even Aaron relented to the will of the people and not the instruction of God's Covenant. Aaron was the high priest under Moses. Their new belief had yet to obtain substance but that would soon change.
God was very angry and wanted to destroy all the people for making and worshiping an idol. He wanted to save Moses and then make another nation from him. (Exodus 32:10) Moses interceded for the Hebrew nation by reminding God that He had already made a great nation from Abraham, Isaac and Israel. God let Moses take His wrath out on them for when Moses saw the golden calf and the altar, he burned the calf, ground it up, threw that in the water and made the Hebrew nation drink the water mixture. God's Covenant had been sinned against and their idol was destroyed and consumed by their own bodies. The idol was defiled and now they were defiled by drinking the water. There was a slaughter to follow as the Levites took swords killing about three thousand of them. (Exodus 32:29) God's wrath was stayed by measure but carried out through Moses' wrath. He had done the will of God with a measured wrath. God's will was carried out but sin was in the nation.
We see others carry out God's wrath in The Old Testament. Joshua, Elijah, and David are but three instruments of the mighty wrathful hand of God. These three upheld the holiness of God and destroyed many sinful people and nations. God's Blood Covenant with the Hebrew nation was upheld even over pagan nations and groups of idol worshipers. God's law prevailed through The Blood Covenant. There was still more sin and more evil.
Israel was taken captive and many were killed or held as slaves by an evil king Nebuchadnezzar. During this time a flower was born and blossomed into the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 53 The Holy Bible tells of the prophecy of the coming of a Savior that will die. He will spill His blood for our transgressions. He will be bruised for our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11) He will rise again from the dead providing intercesssion for the many. Salvation will be granted by His blood and all the sins of man shall be paid for by His death and His "seeing the light of day again"!!!
A new Covenant will be for all men. A new Blood Covenant!!!
THE BLOOD COVENANT FROM THE SON OF GOD.....JESUS!!!
Jesus' coming was prophesied and His birth fulfilled some six hundred years later and His Blood Covenant is available for all that believe on Him.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10
There were others that prophesied of Jesus' coming. From the dream of the very captor of the people, King Nebuchadnezzar, came the prophecy from God that was interpreted by Daniel.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Daniel 2:44
In Daniel 2:34 shows a "rock cut out, not by human hands, will destroy the statue" that was seen by King Nebuchadnezzar in his prophetic dream sent from God. That rock was and is The LORD Jesus Christ. He is The Rock of our eternal salvation.
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel 2:31-45
The statue in King Nebuchandnezzar's dream is a complete other sermon but the discussion that is required here is that God is still directing the thoughts and deeds of men. King Nebuchadnezzar was the receiver of the prophetic dream but God's man, Daniel, interpreted the dream by God's direction. Through time He still was reigning in the lives of His people.
Many years later at God's appointed time for The Messiah Jesus to be born, a young Hebrew virgin woman , Mary, received a vision from the angel of The LORD and is told that she would bear a child placed within her by Almighty God's Holy Spirit and that is to call His Name Jesus. She is told that He will be The Messiah. (Luke 1:35) Then at the time that Jesus was to be born an angel appears to shepherds in a field and gives them the "good news of great joy that a Savior has been born and He is Christ The LORD"!!! (Luke 2:10)
This time God had provided His Own sacrifice for the sins of the world. His perfect Son Jesus would grow and become known of many men and live a perfect life and die on a cross for the sins of man. God's little Lamb. He died as a human sacrifice for all mankind and thus established a new Covenant. No longer by the blood of the beasts of the fields but by the blood of God's Own Son would be made available the atonement for our sins. Jesus was put to death on a rugged cross for our sins by God's foreordained plan but rose again on the third day and ascended into Heaven forty days after His resurrection. By all that The LORD Jesus did, the new Blood Covenant was established. The perfect Sacrifice for all men achieved atonement for the sins of many.
God's love had been revealed in a cradle and...a cross. What have they done to our Jesus? He was sent to be a sacrifice but what have WE done to Him since His Holy Offering was made....His sacrifice on the cross?
Millions have been converted to Christianity since those dark days of old and many still are coming to The LORD Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and eternal redemption that was purchased by Jesus by His atoning death on that old rugged cross......but do they understand the new Blood Covenant provided by Jesus is one of mercy and grace? Do they really understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus?
We should be living as though Jesus lived, died, rose again, and ascended into Heaven after obtaining eternal redemption for us. The fact that we accept Jesus as our Savior and that we are under His Blood Covenant does not give us the right to go on living as we have. We must sacrifice for Jesus in our time, tithes, and worship.
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5b
Many of us are being taught that we will become healthy and materially wealthy by being a follower of Jesus but the fact is that we are all poor, wretched and blind without Jesus. HE is the riches of God. Having JESUS makes us rich. We are to preach and witness to the poor! (Luke 4:18) (Isaiah 61:1, 2a) We are to preach the year of The LORD's favor (these days of grace offered to us by God through The LORD Jesus). The LORD Jesus' favor is much more than the fleeting filthy lucre of money. It is mistaken by many new baby Christians (and older Christians) that material wealth and prosperity follows belief in Jesus. The fact is recorded in The Holy Bible that Jesus came to us as POOR! Imagine what He gave up for us. The richest came to earth poor for us. (2 Corinthans 8:9) We should not desire material riches but be grateful for what God has been gracious enough to give us. With food and clothing we are to be content.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
There are people in this world that have to wait for months just to see rain and get water. They have to travel for miles and, in some cases, days to get water. It is a travesty in this society that we live in that we are not more sensitive to the needs of these people. We are to be God's hands providing for their needs.
Is it right that we should be oblivious to the poor of this world and concentrate on our own wealth and health? There is an appointment with death for all of us and there will be no material riches in death. There be nothing in the casket but your body and a covering for your body. Why strive for material riches? The LORD Jesus said that we should help the poor. There will always be poor people in this world but why shouldn't we reach out and help them with their suffering and make their lives easier for a while?
Your purpose as a Christian is to help others. Preach to the poor, the wretched and the blind. That blindness does not just mean physical blindness but also spiritual blindness for those spiritually blind do not know Jesus and many are found in false and pagan religions. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Many are taught there is no other way to Heaven but by a belief in a person (other than The LORD Jesus Christ), a thing, a myth, or a set of mores that will only send them straight to HELL with no hope of redemption. Remember Moses after the reading of The Book of The Covenant? The people said they would follow The Covenant but when Moses went back upon the mountain, they cast an idol to worship. These Hebrews could see the Presence of God upon Mount Sinai but they still wanted to worship idols. Faith only in what they could see and touch. Blind faith. Faith without substance and no assurance of any future. But Beloved, there is good news from God to each one of us.........THERE IS LIVING HOPE IN JESUS!!!
When you come to believe in Jesus, He writes your name in The Book of Life! He washes you clean of all your sins! He gives you a new nature! He seals you with His Holy Spirit! He also gives you the assurance that you will be with Him someday in HEAVEN!!! (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) We have a promise from God that Jesus will come back for us just as God in Heaven came back and raised His Son to return to Heaven with Him. We will follow Jesus and meet Him in the air!!!
Shouldn't we do all we can to help others to join Him there in Heaven? No doubt Jesus wanted us to bring many to be with Him. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Are you living under The Blood Covenant of Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension or is it just a contract with you? Is yours a health and wealth contract that if you believe in Jesus that wealth and health will be added unto you? How sad if it is. How very sad indeed.
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. 1 Peter 5:2
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter 5:4
Jesus told us to help the poor in spirit so that they will be blessed. He told us to be merciful as a follower of His. He told us to be meek. We are not to sin and we are not to lead others into sin. He told us to mourn not for ourselves but for the world and the people that need to be spiritually cleansed. We are to follow Him. He told us to seek righteousness, be pure in heart, and endure persecution for His Name's sake.
Yes. We are to endure persecution for His Name's sake. You may have a Pastor in your Church that is failing to teach this Biblical truth BUT THIS TRUTH IS UNDER THE BLOOD COVENANT OF JESUS!!! Jesus made a sacrifice for you. He gave you a gift that you can never repay and He promises that you will be with Him someday in Heaven. So do you really think that you should believe that your material wealth and your physical health is what is important? Other people are important. God's Kingdom is important to the true believer. (Romans 8:24-30) We should have patience and wait on The LORD Jesus to search our hearts and help us in all our weakness. For surely if you have been justified by The LORD Jesus then you will also be glorified. There is no condemnation in Christ. (Romans 8:11) There is but only life and peace. (Romans 8:6b) We must set our nature on Christ and seek what The Spirit desires. (Romans 8:5) His was the sin offering in the likeness of us all. (Romans 8:3) So if you have died to the law then you should give fruits unto God. (Romans 7:4)
We have all died to the OLD Covenant law, that is, those of us who are saved by JESUS' blood sacrifice and believe enough in Him to serve Him and seek His Kingdom. We have a new place in this world as Jesus' servant. Tireless and true without weakness and with pure hearts are we. We are the love of His Heart and we must always seek what is His will in our lives. We are not here alone. Both The LORD Jesus and the Apostle Paul plainly state that we are accompanied by The Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God! Everything we do should be a reflection of Jesus in our lives. Never of any vain thing but of sacrifice and humility before Him. Grow in the grace of God and reflect His Light and His Sacrifice (Jesus!) in your life.
Your eternal riches will exceed any material wealth on earth as Jesus adds to you reward in Heaven. Try to realize that this life on earth is only as a vapor. It is here for only a very short time and then it is gone forever. Strive for eternal things and lift high The Name of Jesus in every deed you do. He didn't make a contact with you.....He made a BLOOD COVENANT with you, Beloved. If you have merely signed up for a contract with Jesus then you are missing a great and lasting blessing from our LORD Jesus Christ and you stand in great need of repentance and forgiveness from The LORD and ONLY Savior Jesus Christ. Wealth in Jesus is eternal. Life in Jesus is eternal. His grace and mercy are with us who recognize the truth in The Blood Covenant of Jesus. This is a lasting promise for all who believe in His Life and His Word.
If you don't know Jesus, come today and make your life clean in Jesus' blood and receive the grace that His Blood Covenant provides for believers. Today may be your last opportunity to receive it, so come and begin your life in Jesus.
Father God, I pray that many will come to realize the true riches of You and rest in the strength of Your Covenant. Search every soul that reads this sermon and give them a new start in service to you. Amen.
Stephen Richie
10/01/2007
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