Sermon by: Pablo Pacheco Jr. on 8/6/05 @ Eternal Gospel Church in Hialeah, FL

 

The Time for Battle Has Arrived

 

Opening Song: “Onward Christian Soldiers!” # 612 (Eng.) & # 378 (Sp.)

Scripture Reading: Rom. 13: 11-14

 

Scripture Reading: {Romans 13:11-14} ¹¹ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. ¹³ Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. ¹⁴ But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

 

Comment: Brother and sisters, it’s time to wake up! Are you ready or are you enchanted by the enemy? Do you have on the armour of light? Do you have your lamps trimmed and burning? Because inspiration tells us that every day that passes makes one less left us to complete our work of perfecting character. And soon, like it happened in Sodom, it will be too late.

 

Let us pray.

 

Comment: We who are sitting here today are living in a modern day Sodom. Oh yes. And in some of us, modern day Sodom is living in us. By the end of this sermon you will know who you are because the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you. 2 Pet. 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So the Spirit of truth will lead you into all truth. Amen? Amen.

 

You know, the world we live in is a beautiful place isn’t it?

{PP 156.1}Fairest among the cities of the Jordan Valley was Sodom….

 

Comment: This was a beautiful place. The people had acquired nice homes there. If you needed a job, Sodom was the place to be. Sounds a lot like the United States doesn’t it? There are many people coming from all over to this land because they say that money grows on trees here.

 

But what started to take place in Sodom?

{Ibid.} The profusion (abundance) reigning everywhere gave birth to luxury and pride.

 

Do any of us here today desire riches and leisure?

 

Comment: I know many, of our professed brethren, that when they see a nice car pass by, they begin to covet. They wish that one day they would have one of those cars as if they were of this world or as if Jesus wasn’t coming. Doesn’t the tenth Commandment say not to covet anything that is thy neighbors?

 

I want you to take a look at another thing that will bring many of us down as it did Sodom. {Ezekiel 16:49, 50}"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness….

 

Inspiration tells us.

{Ibid.}Idleness is the greatest curse that can fall upon man….

 

 

 

 

 

Satan has much work for those with idle hands.

{PP 156.2} He is never more successful than when he comes to men in their idle hours.

 

Comment: Are some of us finding ourselves with nothing to do sometimes? Do we turn on the television or do we read the Bible? Or, you might say to yourself, “Well, today I did my devotional, I already prayed, I read a few minutes of the Bible, so now I’m going to relax and turn on the television for just a little while. Or you turn on the radio. The only problem with that is that every time you turn yourself on to the secular world, you’re really turning yourself on to Satan’s territory.

 

Sodom wasn’t always totally darkened with wickedness.

{PP 157.2}At the time of Lot's removal to Sodom, corruption had not become universal, and God in His mercy permitted rays of light to shine amid the moral darkness. ….the attention of the people was called to the true faith…. 

 

Comment: Do we see light in the darkest cities still? Is there still faithful Seventh-Day Adventist giving the three angels’ messages out there? Are they preparing their characters for the coming of the Lord? Or are they wasting one precious moment away on the secular things of this world? Or are they becoming more and more like the world which is represented in this sermon as Sodom?

 

Inspiration describes Seventh-Day Adventists that are sleeping.

{HC 346}There are those who have the blazing light of truth shining all around them, and yet are insensible to it. They are enchanted by the enemy, held under a spell by his bewitching power. They are not preparing for that great day which is soon to come to our world. They seem utterly insensible to religious truth.

 

Just like the end was near for Sodom, today brethren the end is near.

{PP 157.4} ….the last night of Sodom was approaching. Already the clouds of vengeance cast their shadows over the devoted city.

 

 Comment: Do you see the clouds being cast upon our world brethren? Do we really believe that we must become perfect to escape the wrath of the Almighty God?

 

But do you think that they knew it?

{Ibid.}But men perceived it not.

 

Comment: Today it seems like we’re in the same condition.

 

The same thing is happening right in this very room.

{TM 507.1}Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification (to serve as an example of) of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. 

 

Why didn’t they know that they were about to be destroyed?

{Ibid.}While angels drew near on their mission of destruction, men were dreaming of prosperity and pleasure. The last day was like every other that had come and gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comment: It was business as usual. Sort of like today. Instead of thinking of what we could do to save ourselves and as many people as possible amidst the impending conflict, as they were thinking of prospering and pleasure, so are many of our brethren today. We need to wake up now, because if we don’t, we’ll wake up in the second resurrection.

 

Why are many professed Seventh - day Adventist going to also be destroyed?

{Luke 17:28-30} ²⁸ Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; (this is what many of us are doing instead of getting their characters right) ²⁹ But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom (just like God’s true people will soon be when the lovely Jesus comes to rescue them) it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all (just like it will after the thousand year millennium). ³⁰ Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

 

As the close of probation was nearing for Sodom, so were two angels.

{Gen. 19:1} And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them…. 

 

But the angels had a purpose in visiting with Lot. What was the purpose of the angels relating to Lot?

{PP 158.3}….to test the sincerity of Lot….

 

Comment: Is there going to be a test for us? Oh yes, it’ll be the Sabbath. But guess what? If we do not put on our battle armor and get ready for the battle, we will fail that test.

 

What does the Bible say?

{Eph 6:11} ¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 

At the close of Earth’s probation is there going to be an angel nearing Sodom?

{Rev 18:1-2} ¹ And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. ² And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

 

Who becomes a cage of every unclean and hateful bird?

{TM 265.1}The world must not be introduced into the church, and married to the church, forming a bond of unity. Through this means the church will become indeed corrupt, and as stated in Revelation, "a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."

 

Which church will indeed become corrupt, or can I say, has already become corrupt?

{SpM 1.5} I saw the nominal church and nominal Adventists, like Judas, would betray us to the Catholics to obtain their influence to come against the truth.

 

Comment: You know; we can come out of the nominal Adventist churches. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the nominal Adventism has been taken out of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lot had some nominal Adventist in his family that ended up burning in the flames.

{PP 159.3}Lot went out to warn his children. They laughed at what they called his superstitious fears. His daughters were influenced by their husbands. They were well enough off where they were. They could see no evidence of danger. Everything was just as it had been. They had great possessions, and they could not believe it possible that beautiful Sodom would be destroyed. 

 

Should we follow along the path of the unfaithful even if they are part of our own family?

{PP 162.1}The very fact that others are ignoring His just claims should arouse us to greater diligence, that we may honor God ourselves, and lead all whom we can influence, to accept His love.

 

Sodom was eventually consumed with fire and this is a warning for us today.

{PP 162.3}The flames that consumed the cities of the plain shed their warning light down even to our time. We are taught the fearful and solemn lesson that while God's mercy bears long with the transgressor, there is a limit beyond which men may not go on in sin.

 

What will happen when the limit of God’s mercy is reached?

{Ibid.} When that limit is reached, then the offers of mercy are withdrawn, and the ministration of judgment begins (which are the seven last plagues).

 

Today there are some of us that are guiltier than the vilest offenders of Sodom.

{PP 165.1}Those who hear the gospel invitation calling sinners to repentance, and heed it not, are more guilty before God than were the dwellers in the vale of Siddim. And still greater sin is theirs who profess to know God and to keep His commandments (SDA’s), yet who deny Christ in their character and their daily life.

 

Comment: Brothers and sisters let us not trifling with Heaven-sent light and privileges. 

 

The True Witness to the church at Ephesus said:

{Revelation 2:4, 5} "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

 

What does it mean to remove thy candlestick?

{2 Thess 2:10-12} ¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion (in other words, they will no longer have the light of present truth), that they should believe a lie: ¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In closing: Lift Up the Standard

 

{TM 450.1}God calls His people to elevate the standard. The church must show their zeal for God in dealing with those who have, while professing great faith, been putting Christ to open shame. They have imperiled the truth. They have been unfaithful sentinels. They have brought reproach and dishonor upon the cause of God. The time has come for earnest and powerful efforts to rid the church of the slime and filth which is tarnishing her purity. The church of Christ    

 

 

 

 

 

is called to be a holy, powerful people, a name and praise in all the earth. There has been opened a fountain for Judah and Jerusalem, to wash from all uncleanness and sin. There is an astonishing backsliding with God's people, to whom has been entrusted sacred, holy truth. Her faith, her service, her works, must be compared to what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward, according to grace and holy truth given her.

 

Comment: May the Lord help us to put on our armor for the time of battle has arrived.