The straight testimony will cause a shaking. I expect a shaking to come from the following series as we expose a major deception among God’s professed people today and declare the true Testimony of Jesus Christ.
“I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this will cause a shaking among God’s people.”–1T 181
As we continue some will rise against this testimony. This is the testimony of Jesus Christ. There is a major deception being taught in our churches today. One that teaches that after we are born again or converted we continue to sin willfully and knowingly. That we continue to willfully violate the law of God after coming to knowledge of the truth.
THE NEW BIRTH
“The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so
Have you been born again? This might be a question that you have to ask yourself after the lies of our preachers today are exposed in this segment.
1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is BORN of God doth not COMMIT sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he CANNOT sin, because he is born of God.
This is the new birth. This is not after years of practice at becoming a good Christian. This is not something that only Christ could do. This is the testimony of the baby Christian who has just been “born”. Who has just been converted, who has just been baptized.
This is the testimony of every “born again” “born of God” “born of spirit” believer. This is not the testimony of an aged believer. Let me read the following testimony.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he can not sin, because he is born of God.” The standard which is to test every doctrine, every theory, every profession, is the law of God. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin,”–break the law of Jehovah. If a man is born of God, he will respect the principles of the divine government, and will not WILLFULLY transgress the law of God in thought, or word, or action. “Being BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible SEED, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” “Of his own will BEGAT he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.” Jesus prayed that his disciples might be sanctified through the truth, and added, “Thy word is truth.” [Signs of the Times, April 30, 1896 Paragraph 1]
When you have been “born again” you do not “commit” sin. But furthermore you CANNOT commit sin. Let’s look at this carefully now before some go to an extreme. We need to examine the word “commit”. If you noticed in that last quote she said “will not WILLFULLY transgress the law of God”. The word “commit” means to give into. To do it knowingly and willfully. It is short for “commitment”. You have to make a “commitment” to “willfully” and “knowingly” violate God’s law.
The born again believer will not willfully or knowingly violate the law of God. This is not saying that he doesn’t ignorantly violate the law of God. Some for years observed Sunday by faith. In their hearts they weren’t fully convicted on the matter. They didn’t willfully and knowingly rebel against God and his law.
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
After you know something and still do it, then your sin remains.
Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
Sin remains when you know and don’t do. Then there is no covering for your soul. You are lost even if you’ve been told you are saved by grace. That is a great deception being taught to multitudes by false watchmen and dumb dogs who will not bark. God’s grace covers our sins when we trust him and follow him by faith. Not when we willfully and knowingly violate his law.
God’s true children by faith live in what they KNOW. They are DOERS of the word by FAITH. The bible says…
Rom 14:23 …for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
So in other words the person who is born of God would never willfully or knowingly violate the law of God. Not only that but it says “he can not sin”.
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Now 1 John 3:9 again could be taken out of context and must be understood in how it is presented. Technically it was possible for Jesus Christ himself to sin. Jesus Christ was born of Spirit from birth. Adam was born of that Spirit from birth and was not born in a fallen state and did not have to be born again until he fell. He sinned. So therefore it is technically possible for a born of Spirit believer to sin. But once he does this he is no longer born of God.
Let’s not confuse the flesh of Christ with his mind however. Christ had sinful fallen flesh which was subject to death, it got tired, weak, and suffered from pain. However regarding the mind, he was born with the spiritual mind like his brethren who have been born again. (See Heb 2:11, 14-17) He was born again of spirit from the womb. His brethren are those who do the will of God. His brethren are those who are born again. (See Matt 12:49-50)
Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
You and me and most everyone else must be born again of Spirit. You are born with a Carnal or Fleshly Mind. We are not born from the womb of the Holy Spirit.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
When a Child is born, except in rare instances where the parent is responsible, that child is born needing to be born again. That child is born with a carnal mind, and that child needs to be “born again”.
Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus, a leader in Israel telling him “ye must be born again.” That could easily hurt someone’s pride, especially one who is a leader in the Church, but it’s the truth today, just as it was in the day of Nicodemus. Today we have many leaders in modern Israel that must be “born again”. They claim to be “born again” but yet they continue to willfully and knowingly and secretly violate the law of God.
The bible says the person who is “born again” “can not sin”. What does that mean? Well technically you can sin. Technically you could chop off the head of your child with an axe. But it’s so heinous to you that you truly could not do it. That’s what it means when it say’s “can not sin”. Sin is so heinous to the born again Christian it would be like a mother killing her own baby. It’s possible, but she could never bring herself to do it.
Are you born again? Let’s look at another quote.
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” [1 John 2:4]. This includes all who claim to have a knowledge of God, and to keep His commandments, but who do not manifest this by good works. They will receive according to their deeds. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him” [1 John 3:6]. This is addressed to all church members, including the members of the Seventh-day Adventist churches. “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” [1 John 3:7-10].
All who claim to be Sabbath-keeping Adventists, and yet continue in sin, are liars in God’s sight. Their sinful course is counterworking the work of God. They are leading others into sin. The word comes from God to every member of our churches, “And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” [Heb. 12:13-17]. [MR vol. 19, pages 176-177] [Quoted from Letter 35]
If you continue in sin, you can call yourself a Seventh Day Adventist all day long. But the truth is, you are not a Seventh Day Adventist. This is how we know the Children of God and the Children of the Devil.
Some might be saying right now. Yes, I understand this but every once in a while I fall and do those things that I know not to do. And they will quote Paul in Romans 7 when he is speaking of his experience and struggle to accept by faith the Spiritual life and no longer walk after the flesh. They don’t understand that this is life before conversion. Before being born again of Spirit.
Paul talks about his experience in Romans 7. He is talking about the old man. Remember Jesus said “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” There are 2 births here in the passage. This man that Paul speaks about in Romans 7 must be born again. Notice how he talks about this old life.
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
That which is born of flesh is flesh, this man who was in the flesh must be born of spirit. Then he goes onto his story about his struggle.
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Doesn’t that sound like a struggle we’ve all went through? Maybe many of us are still going through this struggle. Marvel not that I say unto you if this is your struggle “you must be born again”. If you read above carefully you’ll notice Paul is talking about walking after the flesh and still has a carnal mind. We’ll notice as he continues that he is delivered from this struggle.
Paul doesn’t stop in Romans 7. He continues to Romans 8 and walking after the Spirit, being born again of the Holy Spirit and walking in newness of life. The Spirit is the new birth. This man needs to be delivered from the flesh. Born again of Spirit.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
In Galatians Paul talks about the Fruit of the Spirit and the fate of the flesh and tells us that it has been crucified, killed, dead. When the old man died, the new man, Christ Jesus was able to live in him.(See Gal 2:20)
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
There is the second birth. Born again of the Holy Spirit. And does Paul feel condemned like he did in Romans 7? No, because the person who is born of God no longer commits sin and no longer is guilty and condemned, but is forgiven, set free, has liberty. He no longer has to hide in the bush or run from his God, but he can face him. He is no longer sold to sin, no longer a slave of the old man, but he has been reborn of the Holy Spirit.
The flesh has no power over his mind. And he no longer will say “I am carnal, sold under sin” but rather we continue reading chapter 8 we read.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Are you carnal still? The carnal mind hates God and is not subject to the law of God, cannot please God, and will continue to break God’s law and “commit sin” according to these passages. It would be odd for Paul to say “I am carnal still”. Many might be saying “I don’t hate God” so I can’t be carnal. They could be saying “I love God” like the man in Romans 7 struggling to do God’s will.
In the mind many will say “I love God” but yet they have yet to truly love God and they are still not fully seeing God’s love. God is faithful, he never lies, and when we believe him and his promises and walk in them by faith we will know he loves us so much.
They that are in the flesh cannot please God. But the testimony of the Father towards Jesus Christ was “This is my son in whom I am well pleased” and furthermore the testimony of Jesus Christ was “I do always the will of the Father”. Is this our testimony? This testimony will cause a shaking.
The center of this entire message is this. “Christ in you, the hope of glory”(Col 1:27). “The Lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty”(2 Cor 3:17).
Liberty, freedom from being a slave “sold under sin”. It all is manifest in our life after beholding our God and his love for us and being able to trust his promises.
“The reason why the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die is that the enemy has brought influences of a discouraging nature to bear upon trembling souls. He has sought to shut Jesus from their view as the Comforter, as one who reproves, who warns, who admonishes them,saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” (Ellen White, Review & Herald, August 26, 1890, also in Reflecting Christ, page 21)
Christ in you. Christ our righteousness. The Comforter. The reason why the churches are ready to die is they don’t know God. I pray you will go to the links provided and read some of the studies. Get to know your God. Have your heart broken today.
“A knowledge of God is the foundation of all true education and of all true service. It is the only real safeguard against temptation. It is this alone that can make us like God in character.” [Ministry of Healing Page 409-410]
“Talk and act as if your faith was invincible.” COL 147
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