Someone needs to pay

Somebody is surely paying for it.

Yes indeed, I do not know if you have been able to get the message last week, but in case you did not, you will have this wonderful opportunity to still get the main lines of it in this message walmart revisited.

So what about the weather?
We had some winter, didn't we? You know in the garden of Eden it was just perfect.
The morning mist watered all that needed to be watered, peace was all over and streams, brooks, rivers took care of everything else.
But then it happened mankind was kicked out due to something stupid. Oh yes, Eve and Adam, they paid attention to God, but then their attention was diverted by something different and satan had his hook in them. Whispering sweet words of distraction and diffusion.

So our last winter caught a lot of people inside and with elevated heating bills, we also saw our quality of life drop and with that thefts go up, gas prices go up, and so forth and so forth. But you know somebody must pay for that what is/was stolen if it is the lost lives in the garden of Eden or the stolen, warm slippers at Walmart, some-one has to pay.

When you get something from a store, you need to pay the price, correct!!
Otherwise, you end up like the man on our picture of today, in jail.
So what has this to do with church?
Scripture tells us in something we call the ten commandments, “Thou shall not steal”.

When then does it become for Christians ok to lie, lust, covet, idolize, disrespect, sleep around, or even murder.
Those are some, seven that is, of the ten commandments that are being broken more than frequently in our churches, or maybe even in our own families.

Yesterday Mike and I were out to quickly get some groceries for Ice Cream.
Yeah, yeah I know, I do not need any more ice-cream, but you know, strawberry ice-cream, or peach ice-cream it does sound really good, doesn't it?

So we were out and I thought it necessary to purchase an item at the sports counter.
Never done something like that at Walmart I was in for a surprise. Knowing exactly what I wanted we went for the counter and told the sales representative what it was and all of that.
Oh yes, sir, we do have that, in the back, let us check.
Do you have a minute?
Yes ok, we have a minute.

So we went off to get our groceries and then we came back, filled out some paperwork, and with that came to the conclusion that in a new store, not everybody necessarily knows how things should be done.
Through some back and forth, we finally came to the point of ringing up the goods purchased.
The assistant manager walked out with us, holding our newly purchased item.
Then in the car. Hey Mike, did I just pay for this, something does not make any sense.
Mike said, "now, I don't think that you did."

Oh, so still filled in the back of my head with some unbelief about this gross oversight we headed back.
Again at the counter, the salesperson didn't feel so good about the mistake.
The assistant manager was called again and through the making of some jokes I tried to diffuse the situation and we resolved the issue.

Now you tell me, how many Christians would have gone back with a purchase, carried out by the assistant manager for you with a price over 100 dollars.
Hey, you didn't carry it out did you, and the assistant manager handed it to you. Was that not what happened.

OK, yes 100 dollars, we might go back.
But what if it is $50.00, or maybe $10.00.
Would you say, ok it is only $10.00 they won't miss it?

You know that many people need to work for 1,5 or 2 H to have $10.00 in their pockets.
Yeah, they forget tax and insurance etc. you might make 10 dollars an hour, but how much do you take home from that.

Ok, we get it right.
But what when it is $1.00? What about 25c
Isn't a sin, a sin, doesn't matter what it is.

Oh but wait, we, that is the Christian church is not in agreement on that.
According to the Catholic church and some other liturgical churches, there is a difference, there are mortal sins, and there are minor sins.
However in my book, a sin, is a sin, is a sin, is a sin.

Leviticus 26:14-16 (CEB)

14 But if you do not obey me and do not carry out all these commands—
15 if you reject my rules and despise my regulations, not doing all my commands and breaking my covenant—
16 then I will do the following to you:

I will bring horrific things: wasting diseases and fevers that make the eyes fail and drain life away.
You will plant a seed for no reason because your enemies will eat the food.
Oh but that is old testament, that is for people under the law, uurrgghh, yeah OK??

James 2:8-12 (AMP)

This was sent by Paul to his beloved friend and worker in the faith Jacob (Ya'kov).
You break one commandment, you might have well broken all of them.
Thus, even walking out of the store with an item worth a nickel is still stealing and with that the same as murder.
Did you know that it is really important for us Christians in these last days to come to the truth of the word of God.
It is very important to come to the truth of the word.
When we read the old testament and we read “the Word” we can replace this with Yeshua, Jesus.
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God.
In the beginning was Yeshua and Yeshua was with God.

We need to come in the body of Christ to a consensus to remove, and delete, no let me restate this,
we need to come to a consensus, to re-instate into its full Glory the true and unadulterated word of God.

But when we just look at the ten commandments and see that there are at least seven schools of thought on what they should be, how they are ordered, and if something belongs in it or not.
We have a long road to go.

As in EWCMI we are following the order and text of the original Hebrew and with that follow the order of the Torah.
We can see in many of the theologies that are out there the influences of supersessionism and the political manipulations of the times past, especially in the versions of the Septuagint, Philo, Augustine, the Catholic and Lutheran catechism.
What a horrible mess we are in.

You know that even in John's vision, the words of Christ are pointing out the grave error of the church concerning their love for Christ and the obedience to His will which we also know as the word of God.
How is it possible that for so many times we as the church, that is we in general, are throwing away the sacrifice that Jesus made for his bride, as it was never made.

Revelation 3 :1-6 (AMP)

We need as Christians and with that as the church be obedient to God and not work for our salvation, but work in His love as a result of our salvation.
We do the good things we do and obey and walk-in Obedience to our father, not because He saved us, or that He will save us because of it, BUT because we love Him and want to be in obedience to Him through this love we have for Him and He has for us.

Don't we understand as the church that we are the bride of Christ and with that, that our first love needs to be Him.
Jesus tells us to obey the law, He has never said which one we can obey and which one we should not.
Jesus always talked when talking about the law and keeping it, about the laws of God the Father, and not about all the addons from the rabbis and other teachers.
How many laws are there then we need to hold on to?

10 or 367, hmm more than 10, way less than 367.

A lot of people now will start telling me that we are saved by grace and not by the law, but yes we already addressed that didn't we.
What is it that we want to obey, what do our parents expect from us.
How do they want us to follow their will and in what measure?

How much do we want to obey Abba's, the will of our heavenly father?
Jesus said the following on a question of what was needed to get eternal life.

Matthew 19:16-22 (CEB)

A rich man’s question

Now then the question is this man didn't steal so he was fine, right?
He didn't commit murder or dis-obeyed his father and mother, which makes him fine and ok, right?
He also didn't lie, which makes him ok then, right?
Did Yeshua ask him about all the commandments that we should honor the heavenly father with obedience?

No, surely He didn't.
He knew the rich man's heart, He knew what was on his mind.

Therefore He asked him to give all his riches away and follow Him.
The rich man couldn't do it, he might have worked real hard for it.
Or maybe he inherited his richness.
However and whatever it might be, he did one thing, he idolized it and with that he placed something, his wealth, on a pedestal over God, breaking the commandment not to have any idol besides the worship of God almighty.

Because of this verse, there are now churches that say, “if you want to be in the ministry, you must give away everything you have and swear a pledge of poverty”, how can they misinterpret God's word, wow.

Jesus never told us, keep this law, and break that one. Jesus never told us, to throw everything we love away.
No, Jesus did re-establish the truth to not have any God's beside Him.
Our first love is God and our obedience to Him.
Yes God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In the book of Isaiah, we see the prediction of Christ as the keeper and fulfiller of the law.

Isaiah 42:21 (AMP)

21 It was the Lord’s pleasure for His righteousness’ sake [in accordance with a steadfast and consistent purpose] to magnify instruction and revelation and glorify them.

Isaiah 42:21 (CJB)

21 Adonai was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake,
to make the Torah great and glorious.

The word Torah means Law, but it also means instruction, or maybe you would call it, a guide to live by.
Which for our Jewish brothers and Sisters in the days of old was the way that made them stand out from the other tribes and people.
It was that that made them more healthy in times of limited supplies and higher demands.

If we just as a church would be able to come closer together on the fact that it does not make a difference that it is a penny or a hundred dollars, a theft, is theft, is theft.
If we just as a church would be able to come closer together on the fact that Jesus came to fulfill and completely enlighten us on the law instead of what some think to provide us with a free pass to do whatever we want.

Because (and this is sarcasm), “because, we have been forgiven already, for our sins past, our sins current, and our sins in the future.
Bringing these sins to God and asking for forgiveness is just denying his sacrifice for us.”
Jesus showed and told us that

1 John 3:15 (AMP)

15 Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him.

Matthew 5:27-28 (CJB)

27 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’
28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

It is not that the sin of the church and its people starts in the act, NO, it already starts in the heart.
When the foundation of the doctrine is wrong, the heart of the church, the whole church is sick and filled with sin.
So then, is it hard to correct your heart?
No, it is not. But I keep on sinning you might say.
Yes, I do too, but then we also need to bring it to Christ, ask for forgiveness, tell Him that we do not want to commit this sin anymore, work hard for it not to commit this sin anymore, and ultimately ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in this task.
As the church, we also should do the same and look into our own heart, our doctrine and stop and remove the lies that have crept in over the centuries.
We need to come back to obedience to the father and realize that sin, is a sin, is a sin.
We need to purge ourselves, that is us the church, we need to purge ourselves from the world, stand out and with Daniel.

Daniel 1:8-14 (CEB)

We need to stand out in the crowd with Daniel, as the church, look stronger, look healthier, be wiser, be more successful.
Why, because we love the Lord, and in His wisdom, we will stand out once again and glorify Him for His goodness and His mercy upon us.

Oh it is only a dollar, I don't have to go back to pay for this.
Sorry church, you need to stand out, GO BACK.
What will the church, what will you hear.
Wow, thank you, I wish more people would be that honest.
How do a lot of people see the church now?
I can tell you; as a bunch of hypocritical, lying, cheating, adulteress, that are totally good for nothing and completely taken in with themselves.
Wow, the church, the bride of Christ is seen that way, you might as well call her then the whore of Babylon.
Yes indeed, the leftover church, not raptured, following false doctrines and with that the idolater of the antichrist.

Then now we finally see the total picture of the title of the message.
Someone needs to pay!!!
Or with other words;

You as an individual, or the church in general,
you shall not leave this earth without paying.
Are we living by, in, and for our first love, Christ.
Are we following Him in spirit and in truth.
Or are we adhering to the doctrine that is watered down scripture and adjusted to our times and worldly relative truths.
Are we moving forward to the New Jerusalem on the price that Yeshua Ha'mashiach Jesus the Christ has paid for us already.
Or are we realizing, hey we left without paying and we must go back to pay the price (because you know it is not to late yet)
Or are we just plain ignorant and we keep on going with the now then stolen goods and still expect to find our way into heaven.

You are not able to pay your way into heaven you need to accept the payment that has been made for you, you can not steal your way in, or smooth talk your way in.
Paying your way in does not work, it has tried before, scripture also tells us this in Acts 8

Acts 8:17-21 (AMP)

When the core of your life, your heart, that place where the sin, but also the love and the truth start.
When that core, your heart is wrong and not in the right place, you need to make amends with God right now.

If you want to do that I would say pray this with me right now.
For those that are saved and in right standing with God the Father, pray for those who are asking for forgiveness and salvation.

And for those that have prayed this prayer for the first time or by renewal, I would say, welcome to the family of Christ.

 

Amen.

Note: These are notes, this is not a transcript nor a written out sermon. We believe that it is the Holy Spirit that speaks through the preacher and it is that Holy Spirit that convicts and leads to what the congregation needs to hear.Note: These are notes, this is not a transcript nor a written out sermon. We believe that it is the Holy Spirit that speaks through the preacher and it is that Holy Spirit that convicts and leads to what the congregation needs to hear.On average these notes provide a 30 to 45 minute sermon/teaching.