sermon: We Must Learn to Fly
John O. Reid
Given 25-Jun-11; Sermon #1054B; 37 minutes
Description: (hide)
John Reid, reflecting on a story of a well-meaning individual who ‘rescued’ a butterfly from its chrysalis only to discover it could not fly, draws a parallel to our own spiritual development, suggesting if we are ‘rescued’ from our spiritual tests and trials, we will not be able to fly either. We need struggle, tribulation, pressure, and trials to develop patience. Pressure is the way to the Kingdom, and trials and tribulations constitute God’s tools to prepare us for our future roles. The pressure of these present tests (from the world, the flesh, and Satan) serves as our chrysalis which we must struggle against to mature. At our calling, we considered the pressure of standing up for the Sabbath or tithing to be enormous, but after we mastered those tests, God seemed to give us more sophisticated or intense trials to further prove our endurance. Basic training is over and now we must stand individually without the security of a large congregation. We must fight with everything in us to maintain stability in a godless culture or milieu. We need to develop practical wisdom and prudence in our behavior, combating religious deception and syncretism. We must not deviate from the truth, but must struggle against the chrysalis of tribulation and religious confusion, learning to fly into God’s Kingdom.
Topics: (show)
Amos 5:10-13 Bolivar, Missouri Bribery Butterfly Calling Chosen generation Chrislam Chrysalis Cocoon Conscience seared Confusion Corrupt government Corrupt Congress Death of Herbert W. Armstrong Deception Ease Enduring hardship False religious leaders Final correction I Timothy 3:1-14; 4:1-5 I Thessalonians 5:1-11 Job Kingdom Learning to fly Lessons Letting down Living stones Luke 21:8 Mark 13:5-6 Matthew 24:4-11 Patience Perilous times Persecution Philippians 2:12-16 Preparation Reading every label Religious deception Royal priesthood Sabbath Sacred names Scoffers II Peter 2:1-20; 3:1-4 II Timothy 2:1-16; 4:1-4 Study to show yourself approved Struggle Tithing Titus 1:8-11 Trials Tribulation Two witnesses Warfare Worshiping the ministry
|
(To download, right-click on the icon for the format of your choice and select "Save target as...") |
The transcript for this audio message is not available yet.
If you would like to be notified when this transcript is available, please enter your email address in the space below and click the button.