"THE SERMON THAT DID NOT WANT TO BE PREACHED" BY NEVILLE STEPHENS.

 THE SERMON THAT DID NOT WANT TO BE PREACHED - BUT EVENTUALLY BECAME "LOST AND FOUND"!

I did not want to write this sermon friends (25/7/21). Even now I am reluctant and the talk has two endings, such has been my confusion. 

Having wrestled with them both, one succeeded over the other which has now been discounted. However, I will have to see how the Holy Spirit leads to take away the confused.com!!

I normally prepare for a Fochriw talk like this about 4 to 6 weeks in advance, but my mind has been so fuzzy recently that I have not been able to prepare and concentrate properly and have had “Writer’s Block” as some put it.

So what has been the problem? I cannot be 100% sure but I think it started with the appointment of Naftali Bennett as the new Prime Minister in Israel to take over from Bibi Netahyahu on June 13^th. I cannot tell you how much this DEPRESSED me!

I have admired Bibi for many years now as he has led the Jewish State thru many turbulent times, but now the impossible had happened and he was dethroned.

I used to admire Bennett also for he is even more right wing than Bibi and has sworn on many times that the Promised Land belongs to Israel 100% and that not one inch will be surrendered to the Palestinians.

But he also had this desire and dream to become PM, and to achieve this I believe he has sold his soul to the Devil.

Israeli elections nearly always end up with a coalition government, and this time was no different. After many dead avenues, the only solution appeared to be Bennett adding his seven YAMINA seats in the Knesset to a form a coalition of EIGHT parties, yes EIGHT other parties to form a government with a majority of JUST ONE!

The agreement involving eight factions with the 61 seats required for a majority was signed on 2nd June, just half an hour before a deadline was due to expire, effectively sealing Mr Netanyahu's fate.

 What will the new government be like? In appearance, Mr Bennett's government will be unlike any which has preceded it in Israel's 73-year history.

The alliance contains parties which have vast ideological differences, and perhaps most significantly includes the first independent Arab party to be part of a potential ruling coalition, Raam. It also has a record number of nine female ministers.

The inclusion of Raam and left-wing non-Arab Israeli parties means there could be friction on issues such as Israeli policies towards Palestinians – for Yamina and the other right-wing party, New Hope, are staunch supporters of Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, for instance.

Bennett has jumped into bed with some of his enemies in order to gain the role of PM he has coveted so long. Even this week (19/7/21), the traitor Bennett has now changed his mind to appease the Knesset by stating that it is NOT permitted for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. How fickle he has become!

And to me it is sickening to see his deputy Yair Lapid from the left, visiting Muslim countries and greeting Palestinians in an attempt to make friends for Israel with their enemies who want to wipe them off the face of the earth.

 

MOVING ON (1): About the same time our reliable Ford car was written off by a careless Council worker backing into our vehicle leading to a catastrophic line of events.

This involved courtesy cars, two dodgy cars sold to us (a Citroen C4 and a Hyundai 1.10, and this latest one is still with us and parked outside without a hand brake! This of course has not helped with MY WRITER’S BLOCK.

MOVING ON (2): About the same time I read an astonishing article by the well informed English journalist Tricia Tillin. She wrote: 

“One especially disturbing and disgusting video I watched was of a woman naively telling the story of her date with Jesus, at a conference, where he cuddled her and gave her his love; another woman spoke of having a beautiful orgasm as a result.

In the days after the Fall, we are told [Genesis 6:2-4] that the fallen angels desired human women and came to earth appearing as men to have sexual intercourse with them. This will happen again, and probably has already started now that we are in the End Times.

Visiting Heaven

Another common ability of these false prophets is that they can apparently pop in to visit Jesus in heaven all the time, and they are even happy to tell you how to do it, too. It’s the new normal to see angels, have a chat with Jesus either on earth or in heaven, and fly up to heaven for no reason at all. Tillin then names a few apostates who claim to visit heaven on a regular basis including Patricia King, Donna Rigney, Bob Jones, and Ana Werner with her many videos and including the one where Jesus taught her The Warrior's Dance and that we are to learn it too!

She continues “I believe I’m not alone in sensing “something” is happening, something is coming. Deception, false prophecies, heresies and craziness of all kinds are running rampant like a pandemic, infecting church members everywhere, but particularly in America.

What is this all building up to? What could be the climax of all this preparation? What is the devil trying to achieve with all these teachings and spiritual experiences?

Although I don’t know for certain, I have a sense that we might be entering into the time of the end where there will be appearances, not of just false prophets, but of “ANOTHER CHRIST” who will be so attractive and almost impossibly worshipful and believable……

 ”Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For FALSE CHRISTS and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. “(Matthew 24:23-27).

Tricia continues, “I want to share something that happened to me. As a Christian I pray and worship the Lord in private as well as in my church fellowship, and I love the Lord very much. Well, during those times of prayer and worship there came a “presence” – a figure that I did not see, but I had a strong sense that he was there in the room with me. So much so that I knew where he was standing, and what he looked like.

And this invisible spiritual presence was drawing me, drawing out my love and worship in a strong almost irresistible way.

At one time I imagined him like the Lord Jesus, but with a cross and halo around his head like the image I have posted here. But that didn’t sit well with me, as an evangelical Christian. Indeed, despite the urge to love and worship this “person” there was an underlying worry about it, a caution, a suspicion.

So I talked to my Pastor about it. He wisely said that I should challenge this person with the Name of Jesus and the blood of the cross, as any being that came from God would acknowledge those.

The next time I sensed this being, I asked it, “do you come in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, and do you testify to his saving blood?”

Well, instantly this presence disappeared!!  So clearly it was not the Lord Jesus, nor any being sent by Him. My suspicions were confirmed. I still shudder to remember the intense urge to worship this being!!

False Encounters

 

Thank God that my Lord saved me from this deception. I believe it happened for a reason, because now I see preachers and ordinary people claiming to have seen (visibly in some cases) and had interactions with a person they believe to be Jesus Christ, but from their descriptions it is clear they are meeting with deceiving spirits.

Perhaps they are also meeting – and getting instruction from – the one who will eventually arrive on earth as an alternative saviour, the one we call the Antichrist.

This is why I have mentioned a pseudo-jesus, because another (supposed) Jesus seems to be turning up on a regular basis to meet with naïve and gullible “Christians” – those who believe they must restore the earth and rule over the nations in order to bring the kingdom that they believe must arrive before the Second Coming.

The Temptation of Jesus – And His Church

We know that the devil appeared to tempt Jesus into achieving domination and rulership over the nations the “easy way” – not by having to suffer and die, nor by having to heed the will of the Father, but simply by worshipping satan.

Yet Jesus knew the scriptures! The devil would have persuaded him to ignore all the prophecies and the teachings of God through the ages, in order to grasp at dominion outside of the word of God.

Today it’s exactly the same!

Today the same Tempter offers people what they most WANT, but outside of the infallible prophecies and doctrine found in God’s word. Jesus was offered dominion over the nations, self-indulgence, the use of mighty powers to satisfy his needs.

Jesus was offered HOPE and that’s exactly what the devil is offering the Church today. Hope of recovery instead of redemption.

A Better Brighter Future

People today want power, encounters, prophecies, miracles, signs and wonders, and personally they want fulfilment, happiness, love, provision, safety, hope for the future – worldwide they want to see national problems resolved, climate change ended, natural disasters overcome, right-wing governments installed, biblical laws passed; they don’t want to be cramped into serving God, obeying biblical morals and laws, they want all the benefits of a heavenly life on earth, without godliness.

Adam and Eve wanted the same thing. The devil told them they could know everything, do everything, have everything, without regard to God. They needn’t take orders or be restricted, they themselves were special and divine, and could do as they pleased.

Today’s Adams and Eves are the same. They want to “impact society, release divine wisdom and creativity, and achieve breakthrough over our nation”.

They want to “bring fulfilment to every aspect of society, to carry the power of God into every arena of society for cultural transformation; to lead the seven mountains of societal influence in order to help shape our nation” And so on. (END OF TRICIA TILLIN SEGMENT).

We know that as Born Again Christians that we cannot be possessed by the Devil. But there are many times when we can be oppressed by the evil one who can send demons to attach themselves for a while, or even longer. 

I used to work with a Christian colleague who was quite obsessed with this dark image following him around and making him depressed for a long time. It was not until he demanded that spirit leave him under the blood of the Lord Jesus that this demon finally left him. And another who ran from his caravan after experiencing a demon!

There is the case of Tricia Tillin just quoted, even Pastor Steve said he felt something not right in the evening service three weeks ago, and there seems to be more and more evil manifestations as we reach the climax of The Last Days. The “writer’s block” I continually had during the preparation of this talk was another I think, and I have regularly had to ask the Lord to deliver me from this oppression.

It took a while, but I was determined not to continue in a negative vein. I had long notes on the following despicable things which have happened in the past and also recent short weeks:

1. The arrival of ZOOPHILES attaching themselves to the LGBT movement (ie sex with animals – remember Gen 6 again).

2. The San Francisco Gay Men’s choir singing “We are coming for your children”.

3. The library in Redbridge in London featuring a huge LGBT colourful monkey with a large dildo hanging from his genital region while teaching young children!

4. The third wave of COVID, how this will not go away, and will lead on the many other plagues described in the book of Revelation.

5. What about the plague that killed an estimated ONE BILLION sea creatures, which were cooked to death across the Pacific Northwest in Canada and the USA during the region's record-breaking heat wave of over 50* Celsius. 

6. Devastating and Catastrophic floods in Germany last week (and parts of Belgium and Holland) killing over a 100 people plus many more injuries and severe loss of property.

7. THE TOTALLY NEW GIANT STATUE IN IRELAND APPROX 10 STORIES HIGH WHICH CAN CHANGE FROM MAN TO WOMAN AND ALSO TALK AND SING. A REAL SIGN OF THE COMING ANTICHRIST IF THERE WAS ONE!

8. All sorts of weird phenomena and rare happenings are occurring all over the world with plagues of locusts, birds falling from the skies in vast numbers, and the rise in sightings of UFO’s.

9. Footage grabbed from the NASA live stream of July 3^rd from the International Space Station shows a fleet of 10 UFO orb-like objects moving past the camera in formation.

10. Two weeks ago, the long-awaited report by the Pentagon on 144 instances of UFOs concludes that 143 of the cases looked at defied any sort of earthly explanation. They could not be connected to any military or technology programme to any government of any nation on the face of the Earth.

In short, the Pentagon has just admitted that UFOs existing outside of human technology do in fact exist. AS IF WE DID NOT KNOW ALREADY!!!

ENOUGH OF THIS.

DO YOU WANT TO HEAR SOME GOOD NEWS AFTER ALL OF THAT?

“I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10).

IF YOU ARE SAVED TONIGHT BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THE ANGELS SANG AND REJOICED IN HEAVEN OVER YOUR SALVATION.

AND FRIENDS, THIS IS STILL HAPPENING EACH AND EVERY DAY NOW EVEN THOUGH WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE END TIMES.

Please turn with me to Luke 15.

1. The parable of the Lost Sheep (vs 1-7).

2. The parable of the Lost Coin (vs 8-10).

3. MY FAVOURITE PARABLE – The Prodigal Son (vs 11-31).

Some commentators have tried to apply different interpretations to these lovely parables of Jesus.

But the one thing that stands out a mile like a beacon in the night is the LOVE of Jesus for every single member of His Kingdom, and that not one shall be lost.

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man ever pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

The Lost Sheep – see how deeply and diligently Jesus searched for the missing one knowing that the 99 were already safe in the fold.

And then with the Lost Coin, notice the same tenacity in the search to make sure the precious lost coin was found. Followed by a party with her friends, just like the angels rejoicing over us when found from being lost.

And finally the Lost Son. Here Jesus brings the issue home even clearer by introducing the human side of things. This beloved son had foolishly wandered away seeking better things (HAVE YOU EVER WANDERED AWAY DEAR FRIENDS)?

We probably all have if we are honest with ourselves. I certainly have.

Notice the words of the repentant son “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son (v21)”.

This was true, but the Father ignored it and welcomed his son back like royalty.

Remember 1 Cor 3: 10-15

 ¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 

¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

We are all saved and members of the Church, but many of us are led partly astray at times, or even worse….some of the time?

What could be worse than deserting the fold altogether and going off after strange golden items the world appears to offer, or even strange gods? THANK GOD FOR HIS LOVE FOR US!

Perhaps we have sinned against God and sinned against heaven at times.

But Jesus still loves us. He will search for us everywhere, high and low, even in the hidden places, and when found will beckon the angels to sing over us as He welcomes us back into His family.

Finish with final thoughts based around the beautiful song "Lost and Found" by Robin Mark

When the rain falls
And it some days will
And the pavement under my feet
Sparkles silver in gold
In reflective light
That I otherwise wouldn't have seen

When the storm comes
And the strong wind blows
I will bow my head to push through
And every step that I take
I will watch and pray
And be sure my foothold is true

Jesus, don't you keep me from that storm
I want to walk that sacred ground

For You are Master of it all
And I am but a lost and found

And in the dry place
In the wilderness
When Your words seem so far away
I will think of my life and I will
Bless Your name
For Your promises never have failed

And when the night falls
At the end of days
I will lift my eyes to the Heavens
And we will shine like the stars
For eternal days
In Your presence forever and ever

Jesus, don't you keep me from that storm

I want to walk that sacred ground

For You are Master of it all
And I am but a lost and found

FULL SONG BY ROBIN MARK LISTED ABOVE THIS ARTICLE