Brother John Moffeit, Athol Youth Revival, Thursday night 7/26/12

Brother John Moffeit, Athol Youth Revival, Thursday night 7/26/12

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.

If you saw someone walking toward a cliff in the dark, you would warn them.  Wouldn’t you like to be warned in the same situation?

Tonight, if you are going the wrong direction toward eternity, I want to warn you.

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Tonight, I would like to address the question of salvation, the examination of salvation, and the person of salvation. 

The question of salvation:  Paul wrote this latter passage to the Corinthians because their disobedience, attitude, and the fruit displayed made him question, “Are you saved?”

People can assume they are saved when they are not.  Examine yourself and don’t just assume and make assumption that since you went through a form or got saved at one time that you are saved. 

I worked with a man that had a testimony that he was saved since he was twelve, for 25 years.  Yet when he was crossed he had a temper like a bulldog and he would display an attitude and cuss.  It was clear that there was no walk with God. 

Examination of salvation:  the word ‘examine’ means to take a close look and figure it out, take time to inspect carefully with a view to discover the true condition of a thing, explore.  There was a time that I thought I was saved yet I was really not. 

I’m going to explain what my life was like before salvation, when I thought I was saved, and what my life was like after salvation, when I was saved.  I want you to examine yourself and ask yourself this question, “Does my life resemble the before salvation picture or the after salvation picture?”

Before salvation: I grew up in church but never paid attention really.  If asked I would have said that I was a Christian because I believed in Jesus.  I was going down a sinful path and had many sins in my life.  I thought I was good enough to get to heaven. 

I had a habit of cussing and I loved the habit and I listened to ungodly music with terrible words.  I was rebellious and had a bad attitude, but because I believed in Jesus, I thought I was ok. 

In Junior High I went to church camp and went forward.  I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, but I felt spiritual and later was baptized.  My life was the same afterwards as it had been before.  I had things in my life, but I still thought I was good.  

In high school there was a moment when I came to the question, “If I died, would I go to heaven?”  I thought I would.  I started reading some Occult readings and endeavored to practice some of it with a few results, but not complete success.  There was a question in my mind that maybe it was evil and it opened doors to the enemy. 

At this time my dad gave me a book written by a woman with the same experience that had gotten saved.   This caused me to question again if what I was practicing was evil.  I asked God that if it was evil that He would help nothing to come the next two times that I made the attempt.  He answered my prayer and nothing happened the next two times.  So I stopped. 

After that I woke up to an evil presence in the room that froze me stiff.  I knew that I had to get up and turn on the light.  When I did I saw nothing and the presence left. 

I went through a hard time in life at this point and God used it to get me alone and away from friends.  At this time I generally prayed a little prayer before I went to bed.  I started reading a New Testament; I read one chapter a day.  Sometimes I would miss a day and the next day I would try to read two chapters. 

I was lost and as I read God began to open my eyes.  Here are some of the scriptures that I read:

Luk 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luk 13:5  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Unless you repent, turn from sin, you will perish.  I knew that I was living in sin and that I had never repented. 

God commands all men everywhere to repent.  You must be willing to turn from sin and ask Jesus to cleanse you from sin.  For the first time I really understood why Jesus came. 

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

I was going down this path, MY WAY.  To repent is to turn from our own way to the path that Jesus wants us to walk.  Jesus died for me and was willing to save me if I would repent and turn from my sin. 

There was a prayer at the end of the New Testament.  I prayed this prayer.  God saw my heart and didn’t care about the words.  I believed and God heard me. 

I woke up with my desires changed.  I suddenly had no desire to cuss.  I had a hunger for the Word.  The Bible was a new and living book.  I was born again shown by a change of desires and purpose.  This is what salvation is all about. 

Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Eze 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

A change took place inside of me.  I was excited about reading the Bible and excited about church.  At this time I read a book that said that if you’ve done occult things then you need to renounce it.  I did.  That night the same evil presence came to me.  There was a difference this time though, I was not afraid.  I knew that the Lord would protect me.  “Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.”

I tried to rebuke that presence and there was a pressure over my neck and body so that I could say nothing and I could not get up.  I called upon God to rescue me.  Then the pressure began to lessen and I was able to get up and rebuke it in Jesus’ name. 

The great difference this time from the time before was that there was no fear.  It confirmed in my mind what had happened, I was saved. 

Be careful what you open yourself up to.

As my heart became inclined to God He showed me things.  I used to play video games and He spoke to my heart: “Is this the best way to spend your time?  Will this matter in eternity?”  There has been a lot of growth; the Lord has blessed and changed my life.  I look at my family and my home and realize that the only reason that we have what we have is because of God. 

Psa 119:97  MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

I wouldn’t give up my relationship with God for anything. 

People think that just because they believe and have head knowledge then they are saved; yet they walk in their own way and do not have the desires that I have described. 

You ask me what made the difference and I answer you that it is not What but Who. 

The person of salvation: 

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Except you be reprobates: unless you fail the test. 

Salvation is more than getting a ticket and holding onto it.  When you get saved, the Lord comes to dwell in your heart.  You are not moved to a new position, but a person comes to live in your life.

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Jesus does something new on the inside.  You gain a love for God, a love for the things of God, a love for the Word of God, and a love for the people of God.  From there you Him in loving obedience. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

If you don’t love then you don’t keep His commandments. 

1Jn 3:10  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.

1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1Jn 3:12  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

1Jn 3:13  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Don’t rob yourself in settling for head knowledge or a prayer prayed long ago.  If your life resembles mine before salvation then you are headed for that cliff and you need to turn around. 

Psa 86:5  For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

God is good and is not willing that any perish.  You can be saved tonight.  God is plenteous in mercy unto all that call upon Him.  You can call upon the Lord tonight and He will wash all your sin away.  He will cast your sin from you as far as the east is from the west never to be remembered against you again. 

You can be saved tonight; don’t keep heading for that cliff.