Come out

 by David Long

John 17:14-17, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Living in the world is not the problem. The problem is when the world lives in us. "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:17-18).

Showing mercy

 by David Long

Who does God show mercy to? 

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image -- any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exod. 20:4-6). cf. Dt. 5:8-10.

The battle

 by David Long

There is a battle you don't need to be worried about. It's called the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16-17). It never happened and will never happen. It's not a real physical battle. 

The battle you need to be worried about is the one against your soul (Eph. 6:10-17; 1 Pet. 2:11; 2 Cor. 10:3-5). If you lose that battle, you lose your soul. 

The lower limbs die

 by David Long

Why do the lower limbs of trees die? One of the reasons is because they aren't getting enough sunlight. As the tree grows more limbs the upper limbs get all the sunlight. Is there a lesson in that for us? Yes. As a Christian don't allow things to block out the light of God's word in your life. "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection" (Lk. 8:14).

Don't have your sins remembered

 by David Long

"And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath" (Rev. 16:19). "great Babylon" here stands for Rome or the Roman Empire. God had not forgotten the sins of Rome or the Roman Empire. It would be punished for its persecution of Christians. If we don't want our sins come in remembrance before God then we better obey the gospel and live the Christian life faithfully (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-4; 1 John 1:7, 9; Rev. 2:10). I want God to remember my sins no more (Heb. 8:10-12).  

The cup of God's wrath

 by David Long

"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God" (Rev. 15:1). 

"And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever" (Rev. 15:7). 

Revelation 15 is preparing us for what happens in chapter 16. Christians were being shown that their persecutors would be punished and they would gain the victory. God will only put up with so much (Gen. 6:3). God's longsuffering doesn't last forever (1 Pet. 3:20). "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (Gen. 15:16). The point is: God will punish those who trouble His people (2 Thess. 1:7-9). When His wrath is poured out, look out. 

Follow the beast or the Lamb?

 by David Long

A.     In Revelation 13 those who followed the beast received a mark, name or number (13:16-17). In chapter 14 those who followed the Lamb received a name (14:10).

B.    Both of these ideas refer to something that identified the followers. How does this play out in real life? What identifies those who follow the beast from those who follow the Lamb? Their character. Verses 4-5 describe the charter of those who follow the Lamb.

1.     Those who follow the Lamb live pure lives (not defiled with women). 1 Tim. 5:22 “keep thyself pure.” A Christian “keeps himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

2.     Those who follow the Lamb follow Him wherever He goes. Complete obedience (Jn. 14:15). They keep all that He has commanded (Matt. 28:20).

3.     They are the redeemed. They’ve been bought. 1 Cor. 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

4.     They are the first fruits. They are the best. They are the crème of the crop.

5.     They speak truth (in their mouth was found no guile). They are like the one they follow (1 Pet. 2:22).

6.     They are blameless (they are without fault). Phil. 2:15, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”

C.    Who fits these characteristics? Christians. These are the ones standing with the Lamb (vs.1) and singing the new song. This is the picture of victory. This picture gave hope to the first century Christians. If we want to stand with the Lamb (Jesus) then we must live the kind of lives He wants. Otherwise we fall with the beast.   

Faith which works by love

 by David Long

"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6). What counts with God? "faith which worketh by love." Worketh what? Keeping the commandments of God. Faith that obeys (James 2:17-25). Faith its self is a work (John 6:28-29). Saving faith is a working faith motived by love (John 14:15). "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mk. 2:5). Notice the verse says "Jesus saw their faith." People may not like to hear it but there is a sense in which we are saved by works. What kind of works? The works of God. Jesus is the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (Heb. 5:8-9).  

The devil's war

 by David Long

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17). How does the devil make war with Christians? The answer is found in Revelation 13. He has two allies: the sea beast and the land beast. The sea beast represents political persecution (The Roman Empire had turn anti-Christian). The land beast represents religious persecution (through false religions, philosophy and deception). The land beast looked like a lamb but it spake like a dragon (Matt. 7:15). The devil still uses anti-Christian governments and false teachers to destroy the church of Christ.  

social security or soul security?

 by David Long

Are you more interested social security than you are soul security? Most people are. "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Lk. 12:15-21). 

Only one

 by David Long

Jesus built only one church. 

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). 

"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22-23).

"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4).

"And he is the head of the body, the church..." (Col. 1:18).

It's a matter of priorities

 by David Long

Get your priorities straight or you won't make it to heaven. 

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness..." (Matt. 6:33).

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mk. 12:30-31).

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:1-2).

Stop struggling with sin

 by David Long

Have you stopped struggling with sin? What do I mean by that?

1. Some people stop struggling with sin in their lives because their hearts become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). They are no longer bothered by sin. They have no shame or remorse when they sin (Jer. 6:15). To them sin is no big deal. Their reasoning may be: "everyone sins" or "I'm only human." 

2. Christians stop struggling with sin because they are forgiven (1 Cor. 6:9-11).