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Mills River SDA Church

Brian Hindman

I’m Sorry

Woke up and had a yard full of snow and quite a surprise.

We just had, in fact, on a small quick side note, on the campus where I live and work at, at Mount Pisgah Academy, we just had about a week ago some National Forest Rangers on our campus because we had a mother bear that was hibernating on our campus.

We have about 210 acres over the wintertime.

And I don't know if they knew for sure or not, but anyway, she had 2 cubs.

And it was up in the woods above where some of our students are playing and actively engaged in doing things on the ball field.

But the really sad thing is when they tried to tranquilize her to check up on her, when she was shot with a tranquilizer gun, she fell down on her face and they have to wait some time before they go and check on the bear before they're sure that it's sedated and the poor bear suffocated.

And this is not a good way to start a sermon this morning.

Maybe the title would be very fitting, I'm sorry.

She did have 2 cubs and they are absolutely precious.

In fact, if you see me at the door, I have some pictures.

I was able to hold them and they were taken to, I think, another mother that they are monitoring that's been tagged wild bears.

She's with a wild, another wild bear, with another mother and so anyway, that was pretty exciting to see right on our campus where I live that we had that happen.

And she survived all those cold winter polar plunge temperature drops that we've had and And then just when people are trying to help her Then she was unfortunately Didn't make it but God is coming very soon and He is going to make all things right.

All accounts will be squared away when God comes.

He will come and vindicate His righteousness and His character and His law and I am greatly looking forward to that and I know you are too.

Well, I have something important to share with you this morning.

I always like to share this wherever I go, and it is that I love God.

And this love is based on the fact, 1 John 4, 19 tells us that we love Him because He first loved us.

Our love for God is always a reaction, it's always a response to His love towards us.

And because I love God, I love His precious word that He has given to us.

Jesus, speaking to 1 of His disciples who had asked Him a question, in John chapter 14 and verse 23 says, the Bible says, Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words.

If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." I don't know about you this morning, but I would like for God and Jesus to make his abode with me.

We will come and make our abode with him.

Well, what is the result of when this happens if we keep the Word of God?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in Matthew 7, 24 and 25, Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon something." What did he build his house upon?

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not." Why?

So, what are the results of keeping the words of God?

If we build our lives, our character, our faith, being rooted and grounded and established on the rock, we will prevail when the winds of strife and the floods of this life, water oftentimes in Bible prophecy of course represents people, so this could be a picture of end time persecution.

The winds blew and the floods came and beat upon that house, but the house did not fall.

Well, the rock is very clearly in Scripture identified as Christ.

I love to take the opportunity to brag about Jesus, and I enjoy memorizing His Word.

1 of my newest memory verses, Deuteronomy 32 and verse 4, it says, He is the Rock.

His work is perfect, For all his ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity.

Just and right is he." Can you say amen to a God who is the rock?

Scripture is full of metaphors that describe Jesus as the rock.

And our faith is built on Him, and we're clearly told that it will not fail, it will not be overcome by the assaults and attempts of Satan to overthrow it.

Well, this morning as we begin, our subject is, I'm sorry.

And if you will just pause for a moment to bow your heads with me, I want to seek the Lord in prayer as we begin.

Our Father and our God, Lord, we would see Jesus.

We would understand His Word to us today.

I pray, Lord, that You will hide me behind the cross.

But, Lord, Your people desire earnestly to see and hear a message from on high, And you have given this to us in your Holy Word.

So I pray, Lord, that you will give us eyes to see and ears to hear, that we might know and understand your will in our lives.

All right, the setting for our message this morning is found in the book of Revelation.

I hope you enjoy studying the Bible, and we'll be looking at a number of Bible verses.

If you would open up to Revelation chapter 3, and we will start looking at 1 of the churches, 1 of the 7 churches, in fact it's the last church beginning in verse 14.

Now, I'll just mention the 7 churches are a picture that has a two-part or two-fold message.

Number 1, the 7 churches represent the church in John's day.

Each 1 of the churches that John, who was the author of Revelation, was writing to.

But number 2, the 7 churches also represent God's true faithful church down throughout the history of time, down to the close of time.

And it is that seventh and final church that is the 1 that pictures us and our condition today.

Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." John 17, 17.

But what God's people are most particularly interested in is present truth.

There is all truth in the Bible, but present truth has a greater urgency and a stronger need that we would pay attention to it.

And so this final church here in Revelation 3, beginning in verse 14 is the church of Laodicea.

And so I want us to just get a picture today as we continue with our subject, I'm Sorry, beginning in verse 14.

And we read there, and under the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of the creation of God?

By the way, don't let the beginning of the creation of God trip you up in any way.

It means, let's compare that with another Scripture, all things were made by Him, and without Him was not how many things made?

The beginning of the creation of God is a title describing that Jesus is the 1 that God the Father wrought through in all creation.

He Himself is not created because you cannot create God.

Alright, continuing on, "'I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.

So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, ' now pay attention, "'I will' what?

"'spew thee out of my mouth.'" Have you ever wondered what does that mean?

This is Jesus speaking, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

Now, Revelation, we're told in Revelation 1-1 is put in symbolic language.

The message in Revelation is highly symbolic.

Well, as I was reading sometime not too long ago, and just thinking and pondering these verses, it occurred to me what that actually really means.

Revelation chapter 3 and verse 5, if you would just look up to the church at Sardis, has a clear, I think, representation.

If Jesus Himself says, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

Notice Revelation 3 verse 5, He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels." So the righteous will have their name confessed before the Heavenly Father and before the holy angels.

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I’m Sorry

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