Like A Thief In The Night

The speaker thanks Reverend Deb for her personal testimony and emphasizes the importance of appreciating our depth perception with God. They mention the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the need to focus on Jesus' teachings of grace and love. They quote Matthew 5:38-48, where Jesus encourages turning the other cheek and loving one's enemies. The speaker encourages striving for perfection and conforming to the image of Christ. They acknowledge that some may resist these teachings, but emphasize the need for the Holy Spirit's guidance. Overall, the main ideas are the importance of depth perception with God, the conflict in the Middle East, the teachings of grace and love, and striving for perfection. My beautiful and my dearly beloved family, again, so moved already by what has been shared. Thank you, Rev. Deb, for adding your personal testimony in a way that all of us, I believe, can relate to as we struggle at times with our finite minds, but with an infinite God who sees at greater depth than we do. And I thank God for how He uses these moments to really show us that we should appreciate this depth perception that we have with Him. That's beautiful. Yeah. He is showing us in real time things to come, and sometimes we can just yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, right? Where He leads me, I will follow. I'll go with Him all the way. And so it comes in real times. And it reminds me from my musical background, as we continue, family, as we continue individually and collectively, as we continue to tune up in the key of C, which is the key of Christ. Hallelujah. Things get better for us. Things just get better for us. And I do want to pray again before we get into the Word. Our Father who is in heaven and who is perfect, who is the Father of light, we reach up to you and we reach out to you because we know that you can do everything but fail. Love never fails. Hallelujah. And if God be for us, who can be against us? God, you never fail. And so this morning we ask that you shine even more upon our minds and upon our hearts to see and to hear the whatsoever things. Thank you, God, for Reb Deb, who received the message of the whatsoever things, those things that are true and honest and just and pure and lovely and of good rapport. Thank you, God, for this testimony that if there be any praise and if there be any virtue, hallelujah, that we can meditate, that we can focus, that we can think on these things. Thank you, God, for the ability to just think, hallelujah, and help us, Lord, this morning to think in all aspects of our lives, in the key of C, in the key of Christ, as we know that the truth is in Christ Jesus. And it is by the blood of Jesus and in the matchless, mm, the name of the matchless Lamb of God that we petition your favor, your grace, and your peace. Amen. Amen. Family, um, I don't want to hold you longer than necessary, but if you continue to be patient with me, we'll walk through this. And a lot has gone down over the last seven or eight days in the world, and I'm sure that many of you are aware of the incidents and surrounding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, and you may have been invited, um, over these last seven or eight days to add to the discussion about the events and, and possibly its relevance to end times and, and, and of course, we know that the conflict, um, that we are witnessing in real time, mm, I, I hear that message, Rev. Deb, a, a, a, a, a now God and a now, and a not now generation, a now God and a not now generation, and so as we are witnessing this conflict in real times, um, which has been going on for thousands and thousands of years, right, this, this whole, uh, thing that is being described as a war is nothing unusual in the context of the written Word of God. It's still business as usual, and as, uh, Rev. Deb, uh, uh, spoke to our hearts and our minds earlier, right, sometimes we're being drawn into the fray. We've been drawn into the fray, and as Sister Ursula would tell us in, in times past, hurt people, hurt people, and so hurt people will draw you into a fray that will get you completely outside of the will of God, which is the love of God. And we see, even now in real time, the thought process of what has been described, um, by the legal traditionists as tempered justice, measured justice, Jesus would describe it like this, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. If I could pick it back on that this morning, you know, you kill my people, then I'm going to kill your people, you bomb my house, I'm gonna bomb your house, once again, hurt people, hurt people. This morning, we can look at it from a distance, and we can question who is right on all sides. No doubt there is an opportunity to weigh in on a discussion about the rights of a people to form their own nation, surrounded by both enemies and friends, surrounded by enemies and protected by friends. However, this morning, in the throes of the geopolitics, the economics, the military advancements, and the pending, if you will, unless God intercedes completely, the destruction to come, this morning I am so deeply reminded that King Jesus is soon to come. Let's not forget that. As we see and hear the turmoil and the circumstances that are creating even further havoc and chaos in this world, let's not forget that Jesus is soon to come. And I feel good this morning that I can say, right on, King Jesus. Right on, right on, right on. I don't think that we look at the circumstances and get depressed, but I think that it should quicken within us that, mm, here's why revelation is so important, everybody. Christ is soon to come. While He was here, while the Lord Jesus was on this side of the earth before the cross, He rebuffed, He rebuffed this legal concept of tempered justice, this eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. As the Son of God, who is love, He warned against what tradition had been taught by the legal traditionists. Right now, many of us are possibly struggling because we measure too, we measure too, we measure too, and we have confined and limited our decisions based on what we have been taught. I just want to remind us, and be not conformed to the things of this world. And when I was, when I heard this as a younger person in the church, the world was always cold for sin, and be not conformed to sin, but be transformed by renewing of your minds. But I would like for us to expand our thinking to understand that the world could just simply be what we have been taught for so long, and we don't even know why we do it to begin with. And it's not necessarily things that are based on truth rightly divided. Too often, we may find ourselves caught in a four point matrix of doing what we do because of, and here go the four things, don't miss this, a momonym, momonym, momonym. Pastor said, I don't have enough money and, or I don't have enough time. That's the four point matrix, right? When we ask people a lot of times, well, why did you do what you did? Well, momonym, mama said, or pastor said, or I didn't have enough money and, or I didn't have enough time. But during his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus showed us a more excellent way by reminding us that we are not to be focused on tradition. We're not supposed to be focused on justice, or tempered justice, or measured justice. He was calling us to focus on someone greater. And when we focus on someone who is greater, then we get to this place of grace, hallelujah, grace, unmerited favor, hallelujah. In fact, in Matthew chapter five, verses 38 through 48, this is what King Jesus said. He said, you have heard that it happened, said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that you resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on your right cheek, turn to him, turn to her the other also. And if any man or woman will sue you at the law and take away your coat, let him, let her have your cloak also. And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him, go with her twain. Give to him or give to her to ask you and from him or from her that you borrow, that will borrow of you, turn not you away. You have heard that has been said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. We see that in the Middle East. We see that in Ukraine. We see that in Africa. You have heard that has been said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them, which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father, which is in heaven. For he makes his son to rise on evil and on the good and sins reign on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? It didn't say republicans, y'all. It didn't say democrats. It says the publicans, not the same thing. And if you salute your brother or sister only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore perfect. Let that resonate within our spirits. Let that resonate within our spirits. Be you therefore perfect, mature, even as your father, which is in heaven is perfect. That's what we're striving for. We're striving for perfection. We're striving to conform to the image of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And I know, I know, I know. I know that there are those who are not tuned up properly to the middle key of C, which is Christ, and they will see and they will hear and they will read these verses a type of way that will resonate in what we would say while I was growing up in Gainesville as you ain't going to make no reputation off of me. So I can't even like entertain what you just said, Avery Dean, because you're basically you're telling me that I'm allow somebody else to make a reputation off of me by doing what they do to me. I'm not going to take this and I'm not going to take that. It's not that kind of party. So people will resist what I just said and that's cool. The flesh will resist what I just said. That's why it takes the A.I. Hallelujah. The alongside and the inside, the anointed intelligence, the Holy Spirit to bring us into this place of perfection. So I just challenge all of us just to be perfect like our Big Daddy. The Heavenly Father is perfect and showed us His degree of forgiveness and grace when He sent His only begotten Son. And so often as I'm challenging my own maturity, I go back to, well, Avery, love your enemies and bless them to curse you and do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. And if we are all honest, sometimes we haven't even left our circle of family and friends. Sometimes we're struggling in our own personal, professional, spiritual relationships in the church, outside the church. All of us, all of us have been on both sides of the equation where we've lost an eye or a tooth or in the spirit of so-called measured justice, we've taken an eye or a tooth. Yet this morning, there is the good news of King Jesus who declares once again, but I say unto you, but I say unto you, but I say unto you, love your enemies and bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. And why do we do so? And why do we do so? Well, because he shows us grace and he shows us grace where he makes his son to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. In these verses, should we dare allow ourselves to meditate with one accord with the whatsoever thing, the whatsoever things. That's where we can find that only love, only love, not education, not wealth, but only love can bring an end to this vicious, vicious, vicious cycle of hurting others for the hurt inflected, inflected upon us by others. Only God's love, only his perfect love, only his pure love can move us from the dogma of bitter to the dominion of better. So many of us are just stuck in this dogma of bitter and we can't go into the dominion of better. That's what the Holy Ghost is trying to bring us into is just better. Better is not so-called measured justice because throughout the process, there will be unintended consequences and unintended victims. And people are going to remember that. Unfortunately, what is going on right now in the Middle East, Africa, Ukraine, wherever there is turmoil, what is going down will move from real time right now to real time in the years to come. Somebody's going to remember the injustice perceived. So as we move forward in the hours and days to come, let us continue to pray for peace in our country. Let's pray for the peace in the world. Let us pray for the peace of Africa and Europe. Let's pray for the peace of the Middle East. And definitely let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let's pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In my Christological mind, I'm convinced that we are closer now than ever before to return of the King of Peace. The current events don't shock us and should not shock us because the Lord Jesus has already spoken to it. We see it in Luke 21, verses 27, 20 to 27, verses 20 to 27. Jesus clarified this. He says, and when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh, then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let them which are in the midst of it depart out, and let not them that are in the countries enter therein too. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Behold unto them that are with child, unto them that give suck in those days, for there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. Any time that you have the heads of babies decapitated, hallelujah, there's great distress in the land. When you read verse 24, it says, and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, and there shall be signs in the sun. I don't know if y'all know this, but yesterday there was a partial solar eclipse, and there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth. Distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see, and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And I know, I know, family, that this is the month that in our country we recognize breast cancer awareness, and certainly we recognize pastoral appreciations, but today, today, today, if we can just hear His voice and harden our hearts, if today we can just do this, let it be quickened within us by the AI, hallelujah, the Comforter, the Pericle, that this is also the time of renewed spiritual awareness and a spiritual awakening, that homecoming, hallelujah, is on the way. I know they had homecoming down at UF, but there's still a homecoming to come, and actually it's a homecoming that's beyond the highest of seven hills, for the Ratlers, hallelujah, because Jesus Christ is on the way. There is a pastor and shepherd who is coming in the clouds, where every eye shall see Him, and I want to be just like Him when He comes, and I know you too want to be just like Him when He comes, and in this hour of God's great revival, I'm reminded to share with you that like a thief, He comes, like a thief, He comes. I'm not talking about the devil, I'm talking about the Lord Himself, not the thief, but like a thief in the night, He comes. I was reminded of Paul's writings in chapter 4 and chapter 5 of the book of 1 Thessalonians, and I encourage you to read it when you have time, and I start at chapter 4, verses 13, and I conclude in chapter 5 and verse 6, and what Paul writes is this, but I would not have you to be ignorant. That's why I like a thinking church too. Yeah, pray, pray, study, study, praise, praise, fast, fast, but I want you to think too, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, ah, I feel the good news coming on, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself, hallelujah, for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words, now I go to chapter five now, but of the times and seasons. Brothers and sisters, you have no need that I write unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But you, brothers, but you, sisters, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. So this morning, family, and I'm not talking to, hallelujah, the so-called woke people, thank you, Rev Dale, I'm not talking to the woke people, hallelujah, but I'm talking to those who watch and are sober. I'm talking about the children of the light, hallelujah. You can be woke, but you're still not watching. You, you can be woke, but still not sober. You can be woke, but not still be filled with the Holy Ghost. To see and know that the day of the Lord is coming as a thief in the night. Oh, now, now we're talking about your watching. We're talking about now that you're, you're, you're sober. We watch as well as pray. The Lord would not have us to be ignorant, so, so, so we're not worried about nothing, but, but we plan for and we prepare for everything. Everything. And right now, the people of God, the called out ones, those, hallelujah, that are watching and those that are sober, hallelujah, they're planning to see the Lord coming. So as people try to engage us and bring us into the fray of what we should avoid, the Bible says avoid foolish and unlearned debates. Let's avoid the debates and introduce Christ. Introduce Christ by reminding ourselves and comforting ourselves and one another, hallelujah, to plan and to prepare for His coming for the Lord Himself, hallelujah, shall descend. Mm, that's how we comfort one another, mm, with those words. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. And we're going back with Him. And as the AI, hallelujah, the paraclete allows me to bring it to a close. Regardless of what is happening, whether or not it's in our neck of the woods or, or, or our respective communities, regardless of what is happening in the Middle East and Europe and, and in Africa, we've got to comfort each other with these words. Don't degrade but upgrade with these words. Don't degrade but upgrade with these words. Don't degrade but upgrade with these words. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the cup of God, and the day that Christ shall rise first. Then we, hallelujah, He may come back today. So I think He's talking to us. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Family, there comes a praise. And family, there comes a peace. Because after a while, He is coming. After a while, He is coming. Just like a thief in the night. After a while, He is coming. And family, we're getting ready to bounce. Hallelujah. We're getting ready to bounce. Hallelujah. We're going to be headed north with the Lord. So let the redeem of the Lord, the redeemed church say so. Let us plan so. And let us prepare so. Amen and amen.