How to be Steadfast in the Lord – Part 4 By Dr. Pradeep Stephen
Praise the Lord and thank you for joining us for Part 4 and conclusion of the message on How to be steadfast in the Lord? May God bless you as you listen.
Do you know what the Lord Jesus said to us? He said, "To him that overcomes (in Revelation 3:21), I will grant to sit on my throne, even as I also overcame and I’m set with my Father in His throne." What an awesome and ultimate reward for the Christian that it is not just passing through - avoiding the bullets from the devil as it were - but it is a coronation that’s waiting. That’s why Paul said that a crown of righteousness is laid up for me because I fought the good fight, I finished my course and it was with joy and that crown is not for me only lest we should say, "That was the Apostle Paul; He was incredible. I don’t know if I can ever attain to that - fastings voluntary, involuntary, being shipwrecked, being whipped, stoned - all these things. But Paul says Jesus is my example. Jesus who lives in me, the Christ that’s in me, the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:” With Christ living in me, I will head to the throne of Christ one day to be crowned by the Living Christ himself. Look at the two extreme opposites in contrast. One begins with a spiritual smugness. I’m okay I know some of the Bible. I heard a lot of sermons, I go to prayer meetings, may have a Bible in my car or have it in my workplace or I carry around. I give to the Church, I have some family prayer, but don’t you dare to point the finger at me and say that I am not where I should be. I’m fine. I don’t need to go through this endless introspection - keep on checking myself. See that is the negative way in which the devil paints the picture. That if you have to examine yourself everyday - what a dreadful existence; you can never be sure. But that’s not the case. We examine ourselves to be sure - to be sure that we are walking with the Lord. So when I have that complacency, it’s going to lead to compromising the Word of God because I feel okay, I don’t need to be careful anymore. I will by and by compromise. That compromise will lead to a life of confusion where I won’t even know the right way anymore. Let alone lead others to the right way, but I call myself a Christian. God knows that human heart and that person knows very well that they are backslidden, but they put on a show. But God will judge in the end. That’s the danger. What follows from that confusion is that their own heart condemns them; God who is greater sees it already, and condemnation results. But as I said - Praise God - if you find yourself in that state or in any one of those stages, you can say it to the Lord, "Father forgive me for becoming worldly again, for being self-satisfied. Lord, I do not want to lose my soul. Lord, I want to fulfill your purposes. Lord, help me never to be fooled or self-deceived. No matter how many people tell me that I am good - that I am better than other people - how am I before you? Lord have I neglected Your Word. I make a flip from that category - that column that leads to a combination of all those list of things from complacency to the compromise to confusion to condemnation and I hear the voice of the Lord saying, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Why will you die, O Israel?" He says, "Repent!" I say, "Lord, once more as I ask for forgiveness and receive it from You. I want to be careful and give heed to the reading of the Word once more. I start from there. To prayer once more. I pour out my heart before God every day. I make that a priority. I will not forego those things for anything in the world, because that is my relationship with the Lord, which I will not allow anybody to touch. There was a revivalist in the 1800’s, late 1700’s. He had a schedule with God - a contract. He said to the Lord, I will make a commitment to you O Lord that at 8 o’clock every evening I will meet with you. I will leave wherever I am with whoever I am, it can be the king, I will leave his presence and go and pray to you. Sure enough, in the middle of even meetings with nobles he will excuse himself when 8 o’clock came and go fellowship with the Lord. That man was used mightily in the revivals in England. So much so that they said that if it were not for him and the Wesley Brothers, John and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield - all of these men - that the English would have faced a massacre like the French Revolution produced. That they would have been absolutely obliterated as a society. But through the preaching of the gospel through committed men who were committed to God - God’s Holy Spirit saw that they were committed; they were careful with Him to do the things that would build them up and keep them steadfast. They in turn could be the vehicle through which the society could be saved and that society a horrendous and a wicked one at that time. Saloons everywhere, prostitution, brothels everywhere, all kinds of child labor and abuse. God was able to work because He found a committed person; these are some of the other benefits not only for ourselves but for our fellowmen. From that condemnation, we go to God and say Lord, please forgive me. God is quick to forgive because He is a loving God and He gives us the opportunity to say, "Lord, I want to be careful and once more start again. God, now and more than ever before I will read Your Word O Lord. This is my life. Thy Word is life. I will pray to God and, "Lord, I will begin to seek out holy fellowship surround myself with godly people. Elijah wondered, "Where are the godly people?" So many ministries and so many Churches, and so many people call themselves Christians of every brand and type. Every denomination - even cults. "Lord, where are Your people that love You and want to serve You and want to walk with You?" The heart that seeks will find. The heart that asks will receive. The heart that knocks the door will be open. God told Elijah 7000 have not bowed their knees to Baal. God has His people who are fervent for Him and those people would be a check for us to keep us in the right way, exhorting us as we exhort them and we will all end up gloriously in heaven where we will - having lived the life of thanksgiving and obedience - will be finally coronated. I close with this: the Lord says “to him who overcomes, will I grant to sit with me in my throne just as I overcame and also set down with My Father in His throne.” How is it possible for Him to say that? How can God take millions of believers and set them on His throne? God is able to do anything and everything! That’s not our concern. Our concern is: we must be there. We must be coronated. We must be crowned with that crown of glory and crown of righteousness. Let no man take your crown, the Lord says. So I trust that the Lord will help you if you are backslidden - a very serious matter, dangerous and deadly situation that the devil will not warn you about nor would the world or worldly people, worldly Christians even, so-called Christians and Churches. It is our duty to warn. The good news is: repent and say, "Lord, I left my first love." I want to get back to you and as you begin to go back to God, God will see to it that He will help you with everything in His power to get You to be victorious and be crowned one day. And if you are walking with God - this should only fire your zeal even more that the Lord has this waiting for me and I’m glad to hear it again to reinforce my walk with the Lord. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we bless your name Lord. We thank you Jesus, we praise You Lord, we praise You Lord, we praise You Lord! How magnificent is Your word Father. Thank you Lord. How magnificent are Your ways, O Lord. Father, I thank you Lord for exhorting us this night. Apart from your Holy Spirit Father we are lifeless and worthless O Lord. Apart from Your blood Lord Jesus we are unworthy Lord. We thank you God, though there is no worth in us as we come to You, You made us worthy, worthy to inherit everlasting life. We bless Your matchless name Lord, we thank you Father. Lord, we do pray Lord that all of us would understand the gravity of times in which live, the gravity of our spiritual state. Lord, help us always to be concerned with one thing and one thing only. That is how we appear before thee. Lord, every man can justify himself, all the ways of man is right in his own eyes but the Lord comes and judges us. The Lord help us to know the truth about how we are, that we can worship You in Spirit and Truth. Blessed Lord that we can Lord be on our feet marching for You unhindered and Lord unencumbered by the things of this world and worldly things, and worldly affairs Lord, faithful soldiers of You Lord. Blessed God I pray make us ambassadors of your good news - the gospel. Lord, make that effectual as Paul prayed Lord. Lord that we may have an effectual utterance Lord in opening doors. We bless Your name that through China, through Europe, through Africa, through Asia, through North and South America - all over Father that we would be able to bring good news, the victorious life, to those who have heard it for the first time, who hear for the first time, and to those who struggle Lord, who are struggling not knowing why they are confused, help them to realize tonight Lord and as they hear this message - that if they but return to their first love, they will indeed end up being crowned by You, matchless King. We praise Your name. We praise You Lord. Praise Your Holy Name Father. We thank You God. May the joy of the Lord continue to be our strength. We thank and praise You Lord. Lord I pray for the people that their sicknesses that they face, that the bodily assaults Lord that keep them from having the joy of the Lord and that Your healing virtue would flow. Lord flow and heal, Father. Heal those people with the appendicitis Lord. Those who are having the painful arthritis Lord in the knees Lord. Those who have heart conditions, Lord. Those who have the migraine headaches. Lord I pray, Heavenly King - the things that hinder Your people from enjoying Your presence Lord in doing Your works. Stretch forth your hand, Lord in Your Name we believe that You will stretch forth Your hand to the people that believe and minister Your healing Lord and set them free. That they may know the anointing of the Lord would break that yoke. Thank you Lord and those Father who have been deceived by Satan, Lord who are in the wrong teachings, those who have gone astray by willful sin, in the unwanted lifestyle - Lord like the samaritan woman, rescue them, Lord bring them back - Lord bring them back that they may know your fellowship I pray. Jesus, those who are suffering, Lord, with financial difficulties - Lord, who are overburdened with the cares of this world and they are under the threatening of those who take their property. Heavenly Father, show Yourself to them. Show your power. Lord stand up for the widow and the fatherless. Lord Jesus, defend them who are weak. Hallelujah! You specialize in this, O Lord. Hallelujah! The Lord, though He be on high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly. Thank you Jesus! Lord defend Your people and give them a victorious life. Jesus, You Who said that man if he believes in You though he were dead yet shall he live. Lord You are the One Who is alive and was dead and behold You are alive forever more. Thank you Lord Jesus because You live we live also. Praise You Father, in Jesus' Name. Make them steadfast until the day of their crowning. Amen.
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