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Lansing SDA Church

Wes Peppers

How to Make an Utter End of Your Enemy

Well, this morning before we get into our message, real briefly, the book of James chapter 2 tells us in verse 14, James chapter 2 verse 14 says, what does it profit my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works, can faith save him?

If a brother or a sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and 1 of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is what?

Now it says if someone is destitute of daily food, but would that also include water, yes or no?

How many would think it would also include water?

And our children's story this morning so duly talked about water and the Flint crisis that is taking place there.

And if we were to call ourselves Christians and stand aside and not do anything about that, we couldn't call ourselves Christians very long.

And so our church is going to take some action here.

You have in your bulletin a sheet, which I will not stand and read to you, but you may read that to yourself.

And but 1 thing, a couple of things I'm gonna mention is that we are gonna have the opportunity to bring water here to the church.

And so if you, starting next Sabbath or Wednesday, you would like to buy some cases of water, you can bring those here and set them just where the community service center area is.

You can also give, there will be needs as well.

If you would like to go up to Flint, it's quite amazing that the state of Michigan has invited our denomination, the Adventist Disaster Relief, to actually be in charge of the warehouse for quite some time.

So they are looking for volunteers who will be able to go up and help.

We live close enough you'd be able to probably just drive up there for the day or for the week or whatever you want to do.

But there's an urgent need and we want to be a people who urgently respond.

Now, Elder Fitzpatrick is going to be leading the charge on that, so if you have any other questions, you can go and see him, but he's going to be leading that for us, and we're grateful for that.

And how many of you are thankful that we can help our brothers and sisters in need and whoever they are.

So we want to encourage you to be a part of that, either bringing water or making a monetary gift or being willing to go up and volunteer.

Well, this morning, we're going to take a look at a subject that has been close to my heart lately, and I think it's 1 that is often sensitive to each of us, because we all have different experiences in life where either people have hurt us or people have persecuted us or we've had some type of confrontation with others, maybe in the church, maybe in the workplace, maybe in our family, And how do we deal with those who are an enemy to us, or may not necessarily be an enemy to us, but may act like an enemy to us?

Well, the Scripture says a lot more than I'll share this morning, but I thought about what messages are important as we prepare for the dental clinic, as we prepare for Unlock Revelation.

We need to have hearts that are wholly surrendered to Jesus, amen?

We need to have no obstacles that stand between us and Him.

We need to be a people that do not simply have faith in Jesus, but we want to be a people that have the faith of Jesus.

We're an end time people, we're living in the last days.

I think and mark my words that this year there will be major shifts in the world as we know it.

And you're going to watch and you're going to see things unravel like you've never seen before.

And as we've said previously, as I've said previously, this may be our last opportunity to reach the world with the gospel and the free state that we have it.

And so, friends, We're living in serious times.

There can be no stones left unturned in our hearts.

There could be nothing between us and the Savior.

We must make ready, for Jesus is ready to return to this earth.

Now we've been saying that for a hundred and 50 years, but friends, it is nearer now than it's ever been before.

And even if it's not in this lifetime, in this generation, yet when we die, it's just as much as if Jesus was coming that day.

And so how many of you today want nothing between you and Him?

How do we do them in we're gonna see what the Bible says this morning.

Let's pray Father in heaven, we thank you so much once again for this opportunity And as we look at the scripture Lord, we pray that you'll prick our hearts and We may be sitting here today with burdens on our hearts, bitterness in our hearts, resentment in our hearts.

We may have things against our brother that we need to lay down this morning.

We may have things against those who are not of the faith that we need to lay down.

We may have things in our lives that are against our family.

We are Christians, we are Seventh-day Adventist Christians.

And Lord, we pray this morning that you would change our hearts.

I remember a story when I was in Romania, several years ago, I was in Romania and I was visiting with some folks who had been Christians under communism.

And as you well know, the government often treated Christians quite brutally, except those Christians who were kind of aligned with them and their views.

And so they were telling me a story about how several of them were drug out of their homes in a village 1 day and they were standing in a line.

The soldiers came, they drug them out of their houses, they lined them up, and they told them with guns pointed at them that if they did not renounce Jesus, that they would each be shot 1 by 1.

Well, right off the bat, several renounced Christ.

And they said, we give up, we will do whatever you tell us to do, only don't take our lives.

Those people were shamefully sent back to their home, and the rest who would not accept Christ, that was the first test, were actually not shot.

And they said, we're going to march you 20 miles down into the city where you're going to stand before a judge on trial for your faith.

Some of the people that were telling me this story were people who had actually experienced this.

And so they said, when you are tried, you're going to be put in jail, and they're going to lock away the key, and you'll be forgotten forever, never to see your family, your friends, your loved ones again.

When they began to march them, there was a blizzard, so there was lots of snow, so they were marching through the deep snow.

Mile after mile, they had to actually stop and break camp and spend the night.

The soldiers told those who were in the camp, they said, if you will renounce your faith right now, we'll let you go free and you can go back to your homes.

Several more renounced their faith and went back to their homes.

The rest were marched on down into the city and unbeknownst to the soldiers, the people who were left, who had not renounced their faith, were secretly praying that God would deliver them and that he would intervene on their behalf.

They went through great, they didn't give them any water, they didn't give them any food, they didn't give them anything, they were marching through the snow, and they finally made it down to the city, and they stood in front of the judge and the soldier said, these people are Seventh-day Adventist Christians.

They're strange, they're weird, and they will not renounce their faith for the sake of the government.

And the judge sat upon his little chair, or big chair behind the bench, And he looked at those people, and he looked at the soldiers.

And the judge said, I know who these people are.

They are good people who love God and who faithfully serve the government as far as their conscience will allow.

You take them back to their homes in your vehicles and do not bother them anymore.

Lest the judgment you wanted me to give to them, I will then give to you." Those people, true story, those people were vindicated right before the judge's seat, and God's name was glorified, and they rejoiced.

Think about those people who had renounced their faith when these folk went back to the village, and they had to face them who had renounced their faith.

And the ones who had renounced their faith had to see those who would not deny their faith.

And yet God delivered them and vindicated their own reputation and their character.

The whole time that those people, those soldiers were marching those people down into the village or into the city before the judge.

They never were spiteful to their captors.

And a question this morning I have to you, how do you respond under persecution?

How do you respond to those who mistreat you?

Either at school or in the workplace, maybe in your own home, maybe those who are your family.

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How to Make an Utter End of Your Enemy

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