Bro Gary Wednesday 6/1/11
Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Verse 3: there was given to him much incense. Incense is often reference to the prayers of the saints. This incense was to be offered with the prayers of the saints. Is there anything that God has designed besides prayers to be incense unto Him?
Gen 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Whenever there is a burnt offering, the design is that whatever is offered is totally consumed up to God. There was a sweet smelling savor that went with it up to God. God had Moses recorded this so we would know that there is something about offering a sacrifice to God in a right way that really pleases the God of heaven.
We’re taught in Romans 12:1 and 2 to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Then he deals with the gifts and how we treat one another.
Rom 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
May we never forget, even on common occasions, how important it is for us to show our love one to another. God help us to be warm to each other and to strangers. What a beautiful offering it is for us to prefer our brother.
Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Many times people want to impress those they think are important. That stinks in the nostrils of the Lord. If there is any that we may feel that we can condescend to may God help us to not act condescending and treat them like a poor little puppy to pat when no one else is around.
Php 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
Paul was in prison when he said this. Epapharoditus was someone that went to Philippi from Rome to Paul in prison. We don’t know what it was that was sent with him, but it may have been little notes of encouragement.
“You were there when I got saved, and I’m still standing today.” Or “You be sure to tell bro Paul how I was sick and he anointed and prayed for me when I was sick and I’m healed today.” Maybe it was money or things that supplied his needs that were sent.
Paul wrote back to the Philippians and said that the things that were sent were a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. Whatever God moves upon his servants to do, when we do it, it goes before God as a sweet smelling savor. It’s not for show or impression, it is because were moved upon by God to do it.
It was a sacrifice acceptable and an odor of a sweet smell. Did this gift bring incense to heaven? God is God and He didn’t have to go to Paradise Gardens to bring some herbs back to heaven to give incense. He could just speak the word and there’d be incense.
Noah worshipped and it was a sweet smelling savor to God. The saints from Philippi sent a gift, Paul wrote back that it was a sacrifice acceptable with a sweet smelling savor to God.
Can you imagine as Epaphroditus arrived back in Philippi with this scroll and were fed and watered with this word of God. Can you imagine the rejoicing in their heart when they heard that as they did what God wanted them to do it encouraged Paul and he said it came up before God as a sweet smelling savor?
As Noah preached the people were so caught up in unbelief that they were not called into the ark. This is exactly how it is today. God is faithful to souls. The initial conviction from God is one of the most stirring conditions that a sinner ever has. God comes to them and they realize that they need a savior.
As terrible as the days are, it is alarming to me. People live without any thought of being honest and just with their boss, their son or daughter, their mother or father, brother or sister. The whole life is centered on self.
God said to Noah, “My spirit will not always strive with man.” I don’t believe this scripture means that backsliders cannot get back to God, or that that one that resisted the heavy conviction that they needed to be saved and didn’t yield to God can never be saved. I believe it means that the one that felt the heavy conviction may never feel it that strong again.
As in the days of Noah, I believe that there will be those that know not what is happening until it is too late.
All of us have had experiences where we looked back on something and realized that it was too late to do anything about it. For whatever you missed because the store was closed, there probably will be another sale and it’s probably alright. But it is vitally important that souls God deals with act upon the conviction that He puts in their hearts.
We’re going to have in vacation bible school lessons on the different types of ground hearts can represent: sometimes the seed is taken up quickly before it has a chance to root, maybe there is not much soil and the seed springs up and then withers quickly away.
I’m really concerned. It is not just thinking of family, we need to think of them, but we want to reach out farther than just family. The bible says to lengthen our cords. God’s spirit will not always strive with man.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
God has both the power and the might to wake up a soul; He is God. When there is a voice there will be a seeking God. There must be a desperation that causes men and women to seek God with all their hearts.
Men and women that have left God for whatever reason often times have a lot of people to blame. Everything is everyone else’s fault.
If God chooses to send His word as a fire with such a burning that they can realize that “I’m going to be lost forever unless I get back to God.” There will be a pleading with God.
This fire greatly affects the saved because we have a testimony. We need to be open about how, “I was in total darkness.” Everyone looks upon us as if we were born into this way as an infant and never had a chance to get out and that is why we are Church of God.
We need holy fire to give an exhortation and we need to have rest so that if they like it than that’s good and if they don’t like it, we go on anyway. “God has delivered me from the strivings of the people.” We’ve all been in the game where we’re around striving people and if you say anything that they don’t like then they give you the cold shoulder and say mean things about you. We need to have a rest that takes us beyond that.
Thunder is a result of lightening somewhere. Pray first for me and then pray for yourself that God will help you and me to do everything that we can so that there will be an abundance of incense given to the angel. Because we want an abundance of fire to be given into our souls that there will be voices, thunderings, lightenings and earthquake.
Noah preached and they heard but were full of unbelief.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
We all think that hopefully down the road people will get saved, but for every step they take down the road, the unbelief gets stronger and stronger. God has fulfilled his promise and called millions. Unbelief has caused millions to go their own way.
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