To Bring Forth Christ — Robert B. Thompson

Lord as we come unto you this morning We have so much to be thankful for Lord so much to be thankful for. We praise you Lord that Little Isaiah has been brought into the world Lord healthy child. We thank you for that Lord.

And we're believing also that you're going to bring in Pancaric baby Lord healthy and strong into the world. We pray you a blessing strength and Kathy right now right this very minute Lord. You will be with her and she'll feel the strength of God and this child be born healthy and strong.

We pray Lord for each family represented here. We know there are many burdens. There are people here this morning with problems and Lord We ask you through your Holy Spirit to reach and touch and do the things prophesied By your sovereign power Lord break that yoke in Jesus name.

Intervene Lord intervene In our lives Lord so that we leave this place with yolks broken. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, we need it Lord. We need to help this morning goes beyond the ability of man to help. And so we ask for your help Lord in the name of Jesus.

We pray you'll bless the little children Lord and their teachers as they're out for the Children's Church. And today we pray that God will speak to us speak to each heart and break yolks Lord moral and spiritual and physical.

That we need to have broken. I ask in Jesus name and thank you Lord. Amen. You may be seated. We'll turn to Revelation 12 kind of a far out. It's verses 1 through 5. It's kind of a far-out Passage, but it's what's going on.

It's just couched in symbolic terms. To hide it from the idly curious where Jeannie go she always gets me water Gina. I need water. They've fallen down there gal. All right, and you can read off the board if you want to.

Revelation 12 verses 1 through 5 a Great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the Sun. With the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth but then another sign appeared in heaven an Enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his head.

His tail swept a third of the stars. Thanks to you. Out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth. So that he might devour her child the moment it was born.

She gave birth to a son a male child. Who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter and her child was snatched up to God? And to his throne. Now as I said, this is in symbolic language. To hide it from the eyes of the idly curious.

But it is what is going on today in the Christian Church. Notice that it says it appeared in heaven and I want to call your attention to that Christianity has a way. Because we're all human beings. How many here is a human being a human being?

Because we're human beings we tend to make our salvation our religion. Earthly and it is earthly and there's an earthly part to it but primarily it is a heavenly thing and Primarily is a thing to please God.

We need to know that in America because we keep turning the gospel into something for our benefit. It's for God's benefit. You know In Israel. And all of Israel Was a holy nation a royal priesthood it says.

Holiness, Calling, and the Heavenly Nature of the Kingdom

But within that holy nation God made divisions of holiness and the highest cut was Aaron and God said to Aaron. I Think this is Exodus 30. I forget the verse God said to Aaron no numbers numbers. God said to Aaron.

You're not going to have any inheritance with these people. This is before they divided the land. You're not gonna have an inheritance here. I Am your inheritance? So they were more holy than the rest of Israel.

Holiness does is not talking about your desire to be. Ascetic is talking about closeness to God and It comes by calling as it says no man takes this honor unto himself. But as God who calls and so Without doing anything any better than anybody else Aaron and his descendants Were made more holy than all the other people.

And they could do stuff but the others could not do. They could wrap up the holy furnishings and. And five of those furnishings in the tabernacle of lampstand and table of showbread all of incense and the mercy seat now are Could not be seen.

Even by the Levites. The law was of a Levite even by accident happened to see the labor. Not the labor. The table of showbread of the heart of the lampstand. Before the priests had covered it. They were to be killed like of that and The Levites were more holy than the rest the Israelites and they had no inheritance.

They lived from the ties of the people. And then they in turn tied the ties they were given to Aaron. Now all of that is by calling. It isn't by the fact that the Levites were more religious than anybody else.

What's God? Just said I want what I want and trying to convey to you is That the kingdom of God is sponsored by God. It's not an earthly thing. It's a wonder in heaven and even today in the church There are people Who are called to be close to God?

And if that's in you It will leap within you while I'm talking. If that's your calling. So are some called closer to God than others. Yes, they are they have that calling and It's hard for them to understand the rest of the Israelites because they say how come they don't want to pray all day and The rest of the Israelites are Christians say how come all they want to do is seek God.

What a drag. That's a calling. And you ever stop to think about the 24 elders Seated on thrones before the throne of God. You ever think about them. And all they do all all day and night. Carson God's very presence.

There's no night and all they do is cast down their crown and Cry worthy is the lamb. Now you might say I'd much rather have a mansion and do stuff. Talk to my friends. I wouldn't care to spend all my time.

Just throwing my crown on Before God and saying worthy said I wouldn't mind that for say an hour. But if that's as all I was to do forever. You know I'm not so sure if it pleased God, okay, but if I had my druthers I'd like to do some things around with people.

Isn't that true? But you see there are some who have that calling they just want to be close to God. And that's a first cut out of mankind. We see those in Revelation 14 Says such are firstfruits to God and the lamb.

Now the whole church according to James the first chapter is a firstfruits to God from the world. But out of the church there is a firstfruits to God who Follow the lamb wherever he goes. They're more holy than the others doesn't mean they act any better.

It's the calling of God, and it's in their heart. They sing a song that no one else can sing. If that's in your heart, that's all that you want is God and more of God. But that may not be your calling.

Your calling may be to work with people and That's what you love to do. That's the frequency that you vibrate on. You love God. Of course you love God and You love to work with God's people. Some love to work with the unsaved they just love to work with the unsaved.

Some love to work with the down-and-out, and they can't figure out why everybody doesn't want to do that and So it's very helpful to us to understand ourselves and to have compassion on other people.

To realize that God draws each one according to his will and. So it's important to find out. To be happy with your calling and don't let anything interfere with it. And I'll tell you why because all of this is not for us.

It's for God. Love is the strongest motivator in the world. And those that God has called to just love him and worship him motivate God on. The behalf of the rest of us it makes it all worthwhile. Because he's got someone that he can love.

It's so true, and it helps us when we see these things. Not to get too bogged down. As though the church is something God has set in the earth to Assist civilization there are some who are called to do that and have taught people in primitive areas irrigation and Erosion control and other valuable things.

Christians have done this that's their calling they vibrate on that frequency. That's they love God. That's what God has called them to do but there are others that are Just drawn to madam guy and call them torrents.

They're just drawn to God. All they want is God. And if that's you Don't be intimidated by those who ever have other callings and on the other hand. If If you see someone and they just want to talk about God all the time pray all the time.

Just spend hours in prayer. Don't consider them impractical. That is what they're called to do. Does that make sense to you? But first of all I made sense to Brother Smitter. What I'm trying to show you is that the source of our religion is not the earth.

The source is the heart of God and he's arranging everything the way he wants it. With people, so there's no need to be discouraged. We often become discouraged because we're pursuing an image That we have from people's expectations or what we think God's expectations are Something that's been preached to us, and we're pursuing that and that's why we get discouraged because we're not meeting the standard we have set for ourselves and.

So I guess one of the most insightful things. Self revelation that in turn was. How did you say that when. Audrey when when we. When we find out about ourselves we worship God. There's one for you. Self discovery plus repentance brings reconciliation with God.

So when you discover. It's very important to discover. You know. Take note of yourself and just forget this thing your quote should be I'm just please the Lord and you'll find out that he's very easy to please.

He is really very easy to please. He's not as hard on us as the church is or our friends are. Or we ourselves are. So we go to God and we repent of this trying to be something we're not. Yeah, and it make and then God said this morning that he would lift the mountains and lift the loads and Indeed he will and you don't have to be All bowed down and discouraged if you are that's a choice you're making.

Because God is not asking you to do that. And I say that realizing that some of us have some very heavy loads to carry. Aw, and those are seasonal, but just don't make it harder than it has to be. Are you with me so far?

The Church as the Pregnant Woman

That's a great sign in heaven. A Woman that's the church clothed with the Sun. That's the glory of Christ. The Sun represents righteousness. Fiery. Righteousness and holiness. And that's what we're clothed with is the glory of God in Christ.

The moon Represents the created realm because it has no light of its own. It shines by borrowed light. Borrows its light from Christ. And it's under the feet of the church in God's vision the church is in control of the creation.

And it has a crown of twelve stars on her head probably representing The twelve apostles. Minus Judas plus Paul, but you can think of the stars as representing all of God's outstanding People. We according to Genesis we do not plot our course by the Sun and the moon but by the stars and So it has been throughout history that we do not plot our course by the church.

But by the stars that God has set in the heavens like Daniel and Job and Paul these are the ones that guide us. So the woman has this great crown of the illustrious that God has Given her. She was pregnant.

Now this is probably The focus of the burden this morning is probably the focus she was Pregnant of course that's on our minds because of Yvonne and Kathy but that to see when the church becomes an agent to well even the preach or to Help the needy.

We're all necessary and biblical things. But you see Something else is more central to God and that is that There's a pregnancy here. So no matter whether God has called you to be a really busy worker in his kingdom.

Or wherever just remember you're pregnant. There's something in there That is being formed. Cellular mitosis is taking place a Little Organism there a little Embryo and then a fetus something being born in us in The church today it is time I Talk Tuesday night about the fact that according to the prophets Micah and Isaiah as well as revelation 12 there's coming a time When Christ will come to maturity in his church.

It's not an open-ended thing. It's not all we all ought to do better. There are some things that God does in his time and those times are reserved. For specific people we would have loved to have been on the earth when Jesus walked in Jerusalem.

But that was given to just a few people to see that. Or to go up on the mountain with Moses and the elders and see the God of Israel and To eat there at the table in his presence. That was not given to you.

It wasn't given to me No matter how much we may have won. It wasn't given to us. It was just given to specific people To be on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus Was only given to Peter James and John how we would have loved to have seen Moses and Elijah dead so many hundred years and here they were in glory.

Trying to find out the meaning of Christ's death in Jerusalem but that was given only to three men and God has the power To do with whom he will. What he will when he will and where he will. And My point is that things in the kingdom move like that.

They're not a great soup you know we all kind of Waddle around in and try to do our best of course that's part of it. But there come there comes Times there come times of refreshing acts to around 30 acts.

Times of refreshing. Come from the presence of the Lord. There was a tribe in Israel that knew the seasons well. That's why God puts prophets in the church. At every age is to know the seasons to hear what God is doing and So the prophets are speaking today about God Cleansing his people.

Well, what is? We are in the time When Christ will be brought to full stature. This has never been true except in isolated incidents but for the church To bring forth Christ, I want you to consider something.

And this is in Matthew 13 somewhere around verse 40. But you remember in Matthew 13 The parable of the wheat and the tares how many remember that. Have you thought much about it? And people thought much about it.

The Wheat and the Tares: Judgment Beginning in the Church

We wouldn't have this any moment catching up being taught because it doesn't fit the parable of the wheat and the tares. Now the tares is that Which is sown by Satan. Sown by Satan and you can picture it as being wicked people in the world.

See wickedness today in our time dictators that do things that Stagger the mind with the wickedness of it all. But it also is true of what Satan has sown in you and me. That also is tears. Anything that is sown by Satan as a tear.

When you go for that Anything that is sown by Jesus Christ and is Christ is God's wheat. Now God said and this follows the natural growth cycle of wheat does not grow uniformly that there is a fall planting whenever they plant wheat and there's a time of When the mysterious things of God are occurring in germination and primary growth.

But then there comes the latter rain of the spring rain to bring that up to maturity bring the heads of wheat to maturity and Then comes the burning Sun to harden the heads so they can be. They can be threshed and the grain can be beat out of the head.

And then winnowed and so on and ground in the flour. That's the reason that parable is in there because God says that's what's going to happen. He said let the wheat and the tears grow let it grow. Because if we try to deal with wickedness at this time There's so much of it in my people.

That when you go to ripping out the tears you'll destroy my church. So he said let it grow to maturity. Let it all grow to maturity and then when it has grown to maturity. Then what I'm going to do is say then I'm going to take the wheat to heaven he says I'm going to take out the tears first.

And then he said the righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the glory of their father. Now we and I speaking now universally of the church Are coming to a stage where there's enough of Christ in us that God can begin to take out the tears without killing us and That is precisely what is going on what has begun.

Called the day of atonement or call it whatever you want to. But you see when we're when we're at the very early stages of Christianity whether historically or personally. We can't deal with judgment on sin.

Why for 2 ,000 years what's mainly been preached as imputed righteousness. Because it's taken that long for the church to comprehend that God is not requiring that we earn salvation. But that it comes by the sovereign action of God and that's why God has permitted imputed righteousness To be preached for 2 ,000 years.

So we get away from the law of Moses and get away from our own works and understand that righteousness comes from God. But of course imputed righteousness is a placeholder, it's a it's Something to hold things steady until God can create people who are actually righteous now.

That's where we are today. This is the time That we're in today is that God wants To wants us to have enough Christ in us that that when he shows us the sin in our life We can judge it and that's the important thing is judgment.

You see when God shows you that you have in your life lust or lying or or pride or Hatred or whatever it is. The important thing is that you judge it. See the minute the Holy Spirit shows you that you have decision to make.

You can justify it and say well, it's you know. Because of this or that or because or you can blame people. It's their fault or blame God or blame your ancestry or do whatever you want to. You see you have that option.

If you do that, the terror will remain in you and when God begins to take the tears out of his kingdom. You will go out with it into the lake of fire. Now the lake of fire was given authority by God over specific personalities and specific behaviors and they're found in Revelation 21 8 and you can read them to find out what they are and immorality is one of them and fears one and sorcery is one and so on and the Word of God has given the lake of fire authority over those and When they are in us the lake of fire whether we're a Christian not has authority over that thing but Christ suspends that.

Until such time as the Holy Spirit has a chance to reveal to us. Clearly that that's in us and when we're strong enough to cope with it and not faint. So when the Holy Spirit reveals to you or to me that we have lying in us.

Or we have murder in us or witchcraft or any or even fear any of the other things that are mentioned in Revelation 21 verse 8 is that up there yet? Revelation 21 a friends if it's possible where our Senior typist is occupied at the present time with a more needful task Revelation 21 8 you need to understand that that these that the lake of fire now.

Judgment has been given to Christ by God who in turn has assigned the keys of the kingdom to the church. Now when God shows you something like that it is of extreme importance that you judge it. Even if it's still in you.

Say this is wrong. It does not belong in the kingdom of God. I judge it as sin. That's very important. I cannot impress that on you too strongly. Then God will bring you through sufficient fire To or whatever means he uses to get that out of you.

But first you must judge it as sin and not pussyfoot around. With some excuse. Not pussyfoot around with some Something that will keep Satan from feeling the full bore of your judgment. So you pronounce it as?

Unworthy of the kingdom of God and sin you cannot deliver yourself but you can judge the thing when the Holy Spirit shows you and then fasten your seat belt because Once you have done that then God will be faithful to forgive you and he will cleanse you from all Unrighteousness sometimes immediately sometimes 30 years later, but once you have made that judgment that thing is going to go hallelujah Cassini out of a hundred you realize how important that is.

I'm talking to you about God has come to make an end of sin in his church something We thought would never be possible. Never be possible. We looked at ourselves and we said We're human. We're frail. It is not possible, but I'll tell you God said it will happen.

Hallelujah, and all he requires of you is that you make a clear statement Concerning the thing when he shows it to you if you confess your sins I am faithful and just to forgive it and to cleanse you from all Unrighteousness and that's what God said.

Well, the time has come. Matthew 13 is upon us and The Lord is removing from his kingdom all that offends, but he begins with us and He takes out of us that which is offensive to God and then when he's through with that he's going to take out those who offend From the kingdom whether or not.

They call on the name of Christ or not. When when we call on the name of Christ. The Bible says we we who believe and are baptized Shall be saved and that means saved from wrath. Saved from wrath. It's not talking about all this other I told you about being drawn close to God or anything else.

It's it just means saved from wrath. Okay, God says all right you call on my name. Yes. So then God will begin to deal with you about your sin then your part is to be is to do what God said and Confess it doesn't mean you'll be saved regardless of how you behave.

It means God says, okay, you want me? I'll come down and I'll help you because God is going to make an end to sin. We want to drive it right out of the world. All right. Now this is what God said. The wheat and the tarry should grow side by side.

Christ and Antichrist in the Final Confrontation

Let them both come to maturity now basically. For our intentions. That we're dealing with in the world the the tears are at the Antichrist and The wheat is Jesus Christ and of course behind the antichrist is Satan and behind Jesus Christ is God.

So Antichrist in the days in which we are living Antichrist and Jesus Christ will be facing each other in the final confrontation. Everything else is irrelevant really. Wars rumors of wars and everything.

They're just the things that go on. Because the sin has not been driven from the heavens. That's why they go on but they're not of the point. There's no Solution. They've been going on for 2 ,000 years and will continue.

The thing that is of the solution is That we have come to the time when God is ready to bring forth Christ in his church to maturity. This is the time. Anybody out there? Are you surviving? Almost. You want me to tell you God's words, you know, I'm telling you God's words, you know, and all I'm doing is repeating the Bible the wheat and the tears.

Represent Antichrist and Christ. These are what have been planted in the world and You're going to see a mature all you are is saved and baptized with the Spirit. You don't have enough to stand. You've got to press Into God you have to go further in with the Lord if you're going to stand you've got to have more of Christ and He has that for you.

He has that for you. Don't let anything distract you my goodness if you try to go along with business as usual you see yourself in 10 years. You're going to be in bad shape because the spiritual pressure is going to increase.

But at the same time God is giving us More he's ready to enter your life in a way. He has never entered before and Reinforce you from within. Where grace abounds the sin abounds grace much more bound.

So this the provision God has made for the last days is more of Christ. More than being saved. More than speaking in tongues. The embryo and Then the fetus and Isaiah 66 90 says will I bring? To the birth and then close the womb.

No he is going to bring forth Christ in his church in the day in which you're living and you are the people appointed To be present when this happens. You weren't on the Mount of Transfiguration. You weren't on the Mount with the elders.

You weren't in Jerusalem when Jesus was there. But you're here when God is doing that which is in the prophets, okay? So I expect tremendous thing and don't get distracted and don't get discouraged. Because God's calls on you all right.

She was pregnant. The Significant thing about the church today is not its programs. It's that it's pregnant. It's pregnant. That's what God sees the church is pregnant. There's something to be born. Cultivate it nourish it, but yet if you get pregnant now of course only the women can understand this.

Then you may have to keep working for a while possibly if you're supporting yourself you're a working gal and You Got pregnant and then the man left or whatever you might have to keep working. But the central thing in your life is that you're pregnant.

I said am I correct or not? Nor is the job more important. Which is more important? Well, you know what's more important. And she cried out in pain. And so we have pain where things were going through because Christ he has something better for us, and so we have sometimes not always.

But sometimes we have to suffer to get ourself in the shape where we're doing what God wants. Because we must give place to this. I mean this is something that's happening within us that is important something's being born.

It's important then another sign appeared in heaven. I wish there was just the woman in heaven, but there's something else in heaven an enormous red dragon with seven heads of wisdom and ten horns of power in the world and seven Crowns the authority that God has given him to do God's will in the earth so never fret yourself about evil.

No fret yourself. Because God is in control how many believe that God is in control of Yugoslavia. He's in control in Kosovo. He's in control of everything. Why does he permit it? Well? He didn't cause it.

It's not God's fault. People want to kill each other. But he's there, and he's with individuals when they call on him. God is there to help them. There's a lot of Christians helping too. But God has God has a program.

And he allows the wickedness to continue because he is bringing forth a royal Priesthood and it can only be brought forth in this downhill that we live in and that's why he permits it when it when he's Got what he wants.

We'll have a new world. My faith in God he's in control. He'll set a table before you in the presence of your enemies. Not your friends. Your enemies all right. His tail. The dragon's tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.

Well I always figured that's a third of the rebellious of the angels. A third of the angels were rebellious and Satan tore him down. But you know it doesn't make a great deal of sense. I need Daniel 10 a Daniel 8 verse 10.

Doesn't make sense. Could be. I wouldn't argue with anybody in fact I won't argue with anyone anyway, but I don't like to argue, but I wouldn't argue you say all those angels fine. Go out and have a hamburger but it doesn't make sense because He knows he's gonna have to fight with Michael.

Why would he cast down the earth a third of his army that doesn't compute so we go back to Daniel. And Daniel speaking of Antichrist says it grew until it reached the host of the heavens and it threw some of the starry hosts down to the earth and trampled on them.

Now when we read down It set itself up to be as great as the prince of the host. This is Antichrist see. I mean dark times are coming. Hey. This is the newspaper up here all right and The place of his sanctuary, that's Jesus sanctuary was brought low.

Because of rebellion the host and then the NIV put in there of the Saints. Till I don't believe that I I brother Thompson you done Quit preaching there. Yeah, that's not right. Well, all right when we look at Colossians 3 verses 1 2 3.

Remaining in Christ Amid Spiritual Temptation

How many believe the Bible? 7 people since then you have been raised with Christ 10. Set your heart on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above. Not an earthly things for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ and God.

So where are you? Oh Well, I'm persecuted in one city softly to another. All right, we go to Ephesians 2 verse 6 and God raised us up with Christ and Seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus now.

Where are you? I don't see any future tense in there. You see future tense in there. Let's say future time. I don't even see present tense in there. It's already happened to you. So, where are you. I Don't believe it you have to believe because the Bible We have any choice.

Now consider we have seen in our lifetime Ministers some known and many that we don't know who Were in Christ at the right hand of God. Right and we're torn down to the earth by immorality and Covetousness right or wrong makes sense.

So I was telling us that in the end time The Christians, I mean, this is the way I view it, you know, you know. We better watch what we're doing because Outstanding Christians and ministers and pastors are Falling today and many through immorality they were with Christ at the right hand of God and Satan has managed to tear them down to the earth and to trample on them better watch our business.

Because it's going to get worse. And we have to be very careful to be close to the Lord and not to allow Satan to entice us down from our high place in the Lord. You got it. God raised you there when you were saved.

He's took you born-again nature and put out his right hand. Now you have to stay there and You can be torn down. You can be torn down from that place through lust love of money Anger Unforgiveness Bitterness lying.

He'll read your profile. He'll find out what moves you and he'll tear you right down. So you've got to pray. As long as you pray read your Bible do what God says you're fine. But this is no time for carelessness.

Amen, when we see the ministry falling down. Terrible. Isn't that they're bad people. It's that they've been wounded. They've been hurt. Satan is there's seven heads and his ten horns and his seven crowns.

It is nobody to trifle with it's only Christ. That has the wisdom and the power and so we cannot afford. Let me tell you something. We can do a lot of things that are not quote sinful but neither are they of the essence and Particularly in America where there are so many Inviting things to do we can occupy ourselves with any number of Extraneous things.

Frittering away our time and we don't realize it, but that's of Satan. It's a Satan. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. The Bible tells us to meditate in the Word of God night and day. The Bible tells Us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

The Bible tells us to present our body a living sacrifice. The Bible tells us to give and serve and do everything else of. Covetously the best gift now when we do not do this in the American culture because we're too busy.

And we're too tired to do this we become ripe for deception and it's very subtle and You don't recognize it and little by little by little by little of the person bang. You didn't even realize it was happened, but you've been pulled down from your high place in God.

Yes. Is the way she happened so we have to keep? Exhorting one another today. Hey get in there. Don't you're getting off here. You're becoming too occupied with this that of the other. Do you realize that it is in the world the world is passing away.

But what are you doing? Are you in touch? Are you hearing from God? Are you really hearing from the Lord? Are you going around in your mind making judgments? How long did you pray today? Are you waiting?

Are you hearing from God or something is sidetracking you does that sound like a good pastoral? Exhortation. Hmm not bad. All right the drag he got a Satan watch you flung down to the earth. That's where he wants watch it down on the earth where he can deal with you.

Don't watch up in the heavens. Aren't you down in the earth? The dragons stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth and a woman at the church. Satan could not care less. About all our turkey do you know we could have eight million programs?

We have a hundred fifty million people all get together and have a march for Jesus. I Think we're doing something. He's I mean he'll sell popcorn there. He's not concerned about that. He's just concerned about one thing.

And what is that? The child. That's all he's concerned about. He isn't in front of the woman to devour the woman. He's not concerned you can sing onward. Christian soldiers to the cows come home. That doesn't bother Satan.

But Christ. Christ is the one he fears. And so when he stands in front of you and me. What he's after is that which is being formed in us? Not our church not our ministry. Not who we think we are our testimony or anything.