GYC 2015: Called. Chosen. Faithful.

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

Morning Devotional

Taj Pacleb

Called, Chosen, but Unfaithful

This message was presented at the GYC 2015 conference called Chosen Faithful in Louisville, Kentucky.

For other resources like this, visit us online at www.gycweb.org.

I want to just share that it's a very high honor and a great privilege to stand before you here this morning and sharing in the morning devotionals.

I want to thank God first and foremost, as well as the GYC team, for orchestrating this wonderful opportunity for us to come to press together in preparation for our Lord Jesus who'd return.

How many of you are thankful to be here at GYC?

To begin this morning, I want to make a few comments upon this year's theme, called, chosen, and faithful.

These solemn words come from a very powerful prophecy in the book of Revelation chapter 17.

A prophecy pointing to a time when the nations of the world are going to come together.

Not in a 1 world government or some type of new world order, but a ecumenical unity Where differences are going to be put aside for the common good of all?

It's a time when the nations will come together in 1 mind the Bible says 1 goal 1 intent 1 resolve 1 agenda And they're going to come together in unity and unity sounds good in a world that is fragmented and divided and torn apart but the Bible tells us in this solemn prophecy in the 17th of Revelation that the inevitable results of this unity is that they're gonna look upon the beast and they're gonna give their power and strength to the beast and it says that they're going to make war with the Lamb and as the world is coming together in unity to fight against God and the truth of God and ultimately the people of God The Bible tells us that in this controversy, the lamb wins.

And they that are with him are called, chosen, and faithful.

I'm so thankful, friends, that in this war between good and evil, And as the world is coming together today to fight against God and the truth of God That we are on the winning team when we're on the lambs team.

Amen That we don't have to be afraid of the beast as long as we are connected with the wonderful lamb Jesus Christ and so This morning and the other in the in the following mornings for our morning devotional time, I want to share with you some messages that have been crafted to remind us that We don't have to be afraid of what's happening in the last days.

We want to share some messages to remind us of what it means to be called, chosen, and faithful.

I want to share with you 2 messages, really, broken up into 4 parts that deal with that theme.

And so this morning's presentation is entitled, Called, Chosen, but Unfaithful.

I invite you to take your Bible and open with me to the book of Matthew.

And we're going to go to the 12th chapter as we begin our Bible study this morning.

Matthew chapter 12, as we study called, chosen, but unfaithful.

Matthew chapter 12, And notice in this passage, the scribes and Pharisees and religious leaders during the days of Christ present a very vain and immodest request to the Lord Jesus.

Notice what it says here in Matthew chapter 12, beginning with verse 38.

Father in heaven, we thank you so much, Lord, for gathering us together as your children in this place, that we might press together, that we might draw closer to you, And Lord, we just pray that your Holy Spirit would fill this room, fill our hearts, give us clarity of thought and an open heart to receive the message of this hour.

Speak to us, Lord, not only corporately as a church, but personally and individually as your child.

Matthew chapter 12 in verse 38 if you're there and if you're ready to study the Bible this morning would you let me know by saying Amen.

The Bible says in Matthew 12 verse 38, then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, Teacher, we would see a, what do they want?

Here the Pharisees and scribes are asking Jesus to perform some type of sign to prove his Messiahship.

Now we have to understand that these seekers were skeptical, but they had no reason to be skeptical because they had abundant evidence in the word of the character, mission, and identity of the Messiah.

These were the guardians of the Torah, the expositors of the sacred writings.

These were the facilitators of the temple services, the shepherds of the flock of God, the priests of the Most High, these who have been entrusted with much light, much knowledge, are asking Jesus to perform some type of silly sign, some miracle, to prove Himself to them.

But Jesus responds to this presumptuous prayer request in verse 39, and He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it.

Christ here refuses to satisfy the sight of their eyes.

He would not perform some type of miracle, some silly sign to prove his Messiahship.

Because these religious leaders, as I mentioned, already had sufficient evidence that he was the messiah in the prophetic word and therein in the bible the scrolls of the prophets was the character and the identity of the messiah revealed but these religious leaders are like many religious leaders and religious people today They instead of going by what the Bible clearly teaches, they wanted to be satisfied with their eyes.

They want some type of outward demonstration, some type of burning in the bosom, but Christ refused to do it, friends, because our faith is not to be founded upon some sign or wonder or miracle, but upon the Word of God.

Bible tells us we walk by faith and not by sight, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

And so Christ refused to perform the miracle.

He performed many miracles, but he never performed the miracle to prove himself.

Because miracles are not the evidence of true faith.

However, there is 1 sign that Jesus would perform that would unmistakably verify his identity, verify the fact that he is the Messiah.

And Notice what this sign is in verse 39.

He said, But the sign of the prophet Jonas, verse 40, For as Jonas was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth, then the men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah's and behold a greater than Jonah's is here." So here we find Jesus telling the Pharisees that there is 1 sign that he would perform that would verify his Messiahship and that was the sign of the Prophet Jonah.

In other words Jonah or Jesus is likening the experience of Jonah to that of himself As Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale's belly So he would be 3 days and 3 nights not in the grave, but in the heart of the earth this my friends this singular sign is the sign that Jesus gave to prove his messiahship and we're going to see today as well as tomorrow that it's the same sign that proves our discipleship to Jesus.

It proves his Messiahship but it also proves our discipleship.

We're going to see that this sign is the evidence that we have been called and chosen but it's also the power that enables us to be faithful in the last days.

And so the question is this, what of Jonah teaches us about Christ?

And what of Jonah teaches us about Christ and what of Jonah teaches us about ourselves well now I invite you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Jonah as we look at this very famous story and see some things that perhaps we've never seen before.

Notice that the Bible says we're going to the book of Jonah chapter 1 and as you're turning there, first of all, who was Jonah?

He was the runaway prophet of the Lord, but nonetheless he was 1 that God had called and chosen to do a special work.

He was the worshiper of Jehovah, the true God.

But the question is what constitutes a true worshiper of God?

Well, Jesus told us in the book of John chapter 4 that the true worshippers worship God in spirit and truth.

Not just in spirit, not just in truth, but both of these 2 things together Constitutes a true worshiper of God.

This is who Jonah is for notice in his very name we find his identity and by extension his mission and his message.

Notice Jonah chapter 1 and verse 1 the Bible says, now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of what is his daddy's name?

That word Jonah in the original it means dove that's what the word Jonah means it means dove now what is the dove a symbol of in the Bible it's a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God and The Bible tells us that Jonah's father's name was Amittai and that word Amittai in the original Hebrew.

It means my Truth, what does it mean everyone?

My truth and so when you Look at the very name of Jonah, which means dove, a symbol of the Spirit, the son of Amittai, my truth.

We see that in Jonah's very name, we find his identity.

He is a son of truth that is to be filled with the Spirit, a true worshiper that worships God in spirit and in truth.

At least this is what he was called and chosen to be.

In other words, his identity is found in his very name, which by extension points out his mission and defines his message.

In other words Jonah's message is rooted.

Jonah's message is rooted in his name or his identity.

He is to be a messenger of spirit and truth.

Now, what specifically is Jonah's message?

Well, let's jump down to verse 9, Jonah chapter 1.

This is when he was on the boat speaking to the mariners and he said to them, I am a Hebrew and I do what everyone?

Fear the Lord, the God of heaven who did what?

So notice what Jonah says, here's his message.

I am a Hebrew, this is who I am, this is my identity, and by extension of who I am, I fear God, The 1 that made the sea and the dry lands, the true creator that made all things.

And by the way, when Jonah went to Nineveh, he gave a message of judgment, did he not?

Basically when he came to the kingdom of Nineveh, Jonah's message was that the hour of God's judgment is come.

And so when you put that all together that sounds very familiar doesn't it?

I fear God the 1 that made all things and I'm here to tell you that the hour of his judgment has come.

The Belly of the Beast

What better place to begin a brand new year than in God's presence, amen?

It's a wonderful thing that GYC is doing this time of year.

We're ending a year and beginning a new year in this time, and it's a wonderful, wonderful blessing.

This morning, we're going to continue our study from yesterday.

Yesterday, we began with that passage, which is the foundation of our theme in Revelation 17, where the Bible talks about the war between good and evil and how Satan is going to unite the world together to fight against the Lamb and the truth of God and the people of God.

But we learn that in this controversy, Jesus is the victor.

They that are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.

And then we looked at an example of 1 in the Bible who was truly called, surely chosen, but was unfaithful.

It showed that Jonah was called and chosen.

In chapter 2, we're going to see how Jonah was made faithful by God.

And so I hope you brought your Bible and I hope you brought a spiritual appetite.

Let us pray as we study the Word of God this morning.

Thank you so much, dear Lord, for giving us a brand new year, A brand new day, a year with new experiences, new challenges, new struggles, new victories.

And we pray, Lord, that in this new year, you would give us a new experience, a new heart, a new mind, and a fresh revelation of Jesus.

Please speak to us, Lord, as we open your holy word.

We thank you for your love and your mercy.

Please take your Bible and open with me to the book of Jonah.

The Bible tells us in Jonah chapter 1 and verse 1, 2, and 3 that Jonah was called, chosen, but he was unfaithful.

The Bible tells us that God called Jonah to arise, to go up, but instead Jonah went down, down, down.

He is now in the bottom of a ship that's heading to Tarshish, a place of ease, a place of luxury.

He is ignoring the calling that God had placed upon his life.

He's neglecting the great work that God had called him to do.

Instead of going to Nineveh, he is heading to Tarshish, a place of ease and luxury.

Instead of going forward, he is going backward.

And you remember yesterday we talked about the name of Jonah, which means dove, a symbol of the Spirit.

He is the son of Amittai, which means my truth.

Jonah is a true worshiper that has the Spirit and truth.

And God called him to give a loud cry message against Nineveh, which we learned yesterday was a type of Babylon.

And we also learned that Jonah, the specific distinctive message he gave was a message calling people to fear God.

And to worship Him that made, to worship the true Creator, the point that we made is that Jonah's message and mission is the same as that of ours.

He is an example of what God is calling us and choosing us to be.

And unfortunately, He is also an example of the unfaithfulness that we have committed against the Lord.

And so he's running from his duty, and now the story finds Jonah on the bottom of the boat falling asleep in the midst of a storm.

He is sleeping in the midst of a stupendous crisis.

You know the story, the mariners come to try to wake him up, and what a tragedy, friends, that God's messenger is sleeping in the midst of the storm while those who are in the world are on panic mode.

The world is trying to make, wake up the messengers.

They see that there's a crisis taking place, and indeed, friends, we're living in a time of a stupendous crisis.

All the prophecies of the revelation are being fulfilled before our very eyes, and it's pointing to the fact that time is almost finished, that Jesus indeed is coming.

And my brothers and my sisters, now is not the time for us to sleep, but to arise and to wake up and to go and give that loud cry message to the world." So God sent the storm to wake up his messenger.

I like what it says in the book, Testimonies to the Church, Volume 5, page 463.

It says, the work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity, she will have to do in a terrible crisis, under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances.

Jonah, if he would have listened the first time, he would have spared himself a lot of headache and heartache.

But thank God that he is a patient God and he does not give up on us so easily.

He needs the same thing that we need today.

He needs a revival, a spiritual awakening.

And so God sent the storm to wake him up, but the storm did not work.

Jonah, even though he is waken up by the mariners in the midst of the storm, he is still unwilling to go to Nineveh.

You see, friends, the storm wasn't enough to cause Jonah to be faithful.

And in the same way, the storms and trials and tribulations and signs of the last days are not a strong enough motivator to cause us to be faithful to our mission.

The fear of hell nor the reward of heaven is strong enough to make us faithful to God.

And let me tell you, friends, if your work for God, if your faithfulness to God is because you are afraid of the last days, if it's because you're afraid of being lost, you're going to turn your back on Jesus eventually.

Because there's nothing that is powerful enough to keep us faithful except the love of Christ for us.

He needs not only to recognize the storm, but what he really needs is to spend a few days and a few nights in the belly of the beast.

And that's the title of our study this morning, In the Belly of the Beast.

Notice what it says, Jonah chapter 1 and verse 17.

It says, Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.

And Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and 3 nights.

So here we find that God prepared a fish, not for Jonah to eat, but rather to eat Jonah.

God prepared a fish in order to prepare a man.

Jonah was called and chosen, but He was not faithful.

And now we pick up the narrative in chapter 2 to find that what Jonah experienced in the belly of the fish is what we need to experience in order for us to be faithful in the last days.

And I want us to remember what we said yesterday, and that is that Jesus told us clearly that whatever Jonah experienced, 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the fish, was what he would experience.

In other words, the singular sign of Jesus' Messiahship was the sign of Jonah.

And that is the same sign of our discipleship to Jesus.

What Jonah experienced in the belly of the beast is what we need in order to be faithful in the last days, to be faithful to the Lamb.

And so now we find Jonah in the stinky, smelly, slimy belly of the fish.

As this fish, this whale goes up and down, it's like a roller coaster.

Jonah's going up and down and back and forth.

I can imagine that Jonah began to become nauseous.

I can imagine the stomach acid beginning to eat away at his flesh, his Eyes are burning and his skin is itching.

He's surrounded by thick darkness, barely any breath, companionless, comfortless, surrounded by darkness, rejected by man and seemingly forgotten even by God.

And there he remained for 3 days and 3 nights, 72 hours.

Great In the Sight of the Lord

Aloha and happy Sabbath to each 1 of you.

I want to thank God for this wonderful opportunity of being together on this, the first Sabbath of the new year, to experience a fresh revelation of Jesus.

We have lots to share this morning, so we're just going to pray and jump into our presentation.

I hope you brought your Bible, I hope you brought a notebook, and I hope you brought a spiritual appetite as we feast upon the living man of the bread of life this morning.

I invite you to bow your heads as we pray together.

Thank you so much, dear God, for breathing your breath of life into us today.

Thank you for giving us another Sabbath, another year, another day to live.

And Lord, we realize that time is very short, that indeed you are coming again.

We understand, we recognize that you have called us, You've chosen us.

Now I pray, dear Lord, that your faithfulness will be ours, that you'd fill this room with your Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your Spirit.

And as we open your word, that our hearts and minds will be open to receive the message of this hour, that we might be inspired, motivated, challenged, and blessed.

Please, dear God, speak and give us ears to hear your voice and a heart that can know your heart.

Our message this morning is entitled, Great in the sight of the Lord.

I invite you to take your Bible and open with me to the book of Mark, chapter 1.

As we begin our study entitled, Great in the Son of the Lord.

Mark chapter 1, beginning with verse 1, the Bible says this.

Mark chapter 1 and verse 1, the Bible says, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophets, behold I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.

The voice of 1 crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.

Our message this morning takes us back to the first century of the Common Era.

It was a time of great instability and uncertainty in the world.

And this somber uncertainty was mingled with a solemn expectancy for something that was going to happen amongst the people of God.

Because the Jews of old thought to themselves that soon their Messiah would come.

Soon their enemies would be vanquished under their feet, so they thought.

But before the Messiah would come to the world, The Bible says in this passage that he would send his messenger to prepare the way for his arrival.

And we know that this prophetic promise was fulfilled in the life and in the ministry of John the Baptist.

He was sent to prepare the way for the first coming of Christ.

And so too, God is looking for some final forerunners in the last days to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ John was the first forerunner God is calling us to be the final forerunners in these last days and so this morning as well as tomorrow as we examine the life and ministry and message of John the Baptist we will see an example of visual aid of what God is calling us to be in these solemn times his life in other words was a shadowy type and God is calling us to be the greater reality.

To prepare people for the second coming of Jesus.

In this passage, John is introduced simply as the voice of 1 crying in the wilderness.

But what kind of voice was that of John's?

John's voice was a voice calling for revival and reformation.

His voice was a clear voice announcing the coming of King Jesus.

It was also a penetrating voice, a voice that would sigh and cry for the abominations that were done in the church of that time.

It was a voice that would break up the hardened soil of spiritual indifference.

It was also a piercing voice that would cut men's hearts with Holy Spirit conviction.

It was a startling voice calling for revival, repentance, and reformation.

It was also a shaking voice causing some to be shaken up and others to be sifted out.

His was a bold voice, not afraid to cause sin by its right name, but it was also a balanced voice, a voice that not only comforted the afflicted, but also afflicted the comfortable.

His voice, friends, was clear and crying, penetrating and piercing.

Also, it was a relevant voice, A voice that reached all types of different demographics.

The young and the old, the rich and the poor, the educated, the uneducated, the Jew and the Gentile, men and women, the religious as well as the irreligious.

A voice that would give light to those who sit in darkness.

And it was also a faithful voice, a voice that would not keep silent until the mission was accomplished, the mission simply to prepare the path and the way for the Lord.

That was the voice of God's first forerunner, John the Baptist.

And so will it be the voice of God's faithful messengers and final forerunners in these last days.

And my charge and challenge to each and every 1 of us this morning is for us to simply stand up and to let God make us His voice his final generation of faithful forerunners friends.

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Morning Devotional

Called, Chosen, but Unfaithful

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