ECYC 2013: Something Better

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Eastern Canada Youth Conference

Earl Morgan

The Disciples Who Gave Up Everything

My title this evening for this meditation is the disciples who gave up everything The disciples who gave up everything not the pirates that don't do anything but rather the disciples that gave up everything.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we will all be changed.

By your Holy Spirit, you are present here with us, and you require that we make a complete sacrifice.

I pray that you will Open our eyes to our true condition that we are poor, naked, blind and wretched, and that we need your eyesalve that we may see.

We need your very mind, the mind of Christ.

And I pray, oh Father, that you will convert us to your way of thinking, that we can preach and live the entire message, that others looking upon us may see Christ.

At ECYC, we've discussed several topics that are not usually discussed in our home churches.

Points of sacrifice and self-denial, points of change, practical tips.

The Bible tells us that not only are we to go over the principles of salvation and of the doctrine of Christ, but we are to go on to perfection.

We need to discuss every part of the Bible and apply it to our lives.

Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands and of resurrection from the dead and of eternal judgment.

This is not a sermon about perfection, but it is a sermon about being complete.

Let's not omit anything of the Advent message.

There are 2 powers in this world that desire are all.

The power of evil and the power of good, or rather, the lower power and the higher power.

Satan desires are all, but he'll settle for 5%.

God desires all and he can't settle with anything less than 100%.

But if you give Satan 1%, then he knows he has everything.

So it's very important that in reading the scriptures that we accept all of it, not just some.

And that we preach all of it, not just some.

I am reminded of Revelation 14 where it says there's 3 angels flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, and may I suggest the entire gospel.

We know the gospel of repentance, of laying aside our sins, of new life in Christ, but I find that we don't often speak about self-denial in the church, the fact that Christ requires all.

But who's willing to actually give all for Christ?

Luke 14 verse 25 to 27, and there went great multitudes with him.

And he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, He cannot be my disciple.

And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Without an entire sacrifice, you cannot be a disciple.

Many will call themselves Christians, but are you working with Christ?

Is it biblical or right to delay the understanding of people coming to Christ, delay their understanding, is it biblical to delay their understanding of self-denial?

Is it biblical to hold things back from people that they ought to know before they're baptized?

Mind you, the Adventist message and all the truths, they can be pretty long.

When it comes to prophecy and history and biblical hermeneutics, I didn't even pronounce that right.

Obviously you can't learn everything before you get baptized, but you ought to know all points of truth.

Some people may even have odds about people taking the baptismal vow before they get baptized.

Sometimes I feel that they're changing it up, omitting certain points of our faith.

I don't know if there may be some good reasons to abbreviate the length, but quite often I feel that not everyone has gone through all the studies before they got baptized.

The Bible tells us that we should count the cost before we take that step.

Luke 14 verse 28 to 30, For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first, and count the cost, whether you have sufficient to finish it, lest, happily, after you have laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that behold begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish." We do a disservice when we bring people into the remnant church, but they're not acquainted with the remnant truth.

And they have not been brought to the point of sacrifice.

We believe, I think, that we're supposed to delay the teaching of self-denial.

Whether it's in outward adornment or the way you eat.

But in fact, Jesus requires you to count the cost and to make a decision that will have a sacrifice.

The Bible tells us that it's our reasonable service to give our bodies and minds to Christ.

Romans 12 verse 1 and 2, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I will speak in such a way as to prove from the scriptures that Christ brings us all the way to the line.

Where we give up ourselves and our ways and then we have to think, are we willing to go the rest of the way?

These are the conditions under which Jesus recruits disciples.

Come, he said, and I will make you fishers of men.

Not only the fishers, but he also stopped by the tax collecting booth and picked up Matthew and the other disciples who had other professions and they left their jobs they left their homes and they followed Jesus.

How many of you if Jesus were here today in person, would come and follow me and follow me in my evangelism, my personal evangelism, my world evangelism, come be my helper, How many of you would leave everything and follow Jesus?

How many of you would leave everything and follow Jesus?

Just like all the other prophets, some left the plow, some left Egypt, some left their families to follow Jesus.

Matthew 10, verse 7-10, Jesus is instructing the disciples, He's going to send them out 2 by 2, just like He went today.

As you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of God is at hand, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils.

Don't worry about the money, or the silver or brass in your purses, nor scrook for your journey, neither 2 coats, neither shoes, nor yet stains for the workman is worthy of his meat.

You don't You don't need to wait for money.

They had to adopt Jesus' style of evangelism.

Jesus himself had to pause before he went into ministry.

I'm sure he would have wanted to go into ministry, public ministry, right away when he was 12.

After he realized his mission fully and went to the temple and asked the Pharisees and the scribes questions.

And they were questions that were unanswerable.

And his parents came to get him, come back home with us, and Jesus yielded himself.

Just as it is not our way, but Christ's way.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand, he told them to say.

I wonder if they realized what that meant.

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The Disciples Who Gave Up Everything

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