6/17/07 – 24LAW “The Arm of Flesh” - Part 1
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s message is “The Arm of Flesh” - Part 1

Before we begin, let us seek God’s guidance, “Heavenly Father, as we continue to study this most important subject regarding trust, I pray that You bless those listening today with the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we pray for wisdom, knowledge and understanding so that we may live in the center of Your revealed will, as we ask in Jesus Name, Amen.”
Right now, I continue to keep my pledge, to cry aloud and spare not, to lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God’s people where they are transgressing God’s law.
Recently, one of the ladies who attended our prophecy seminar, who is now attending my continuing education class, told me she asked the minister at the church she attended, why do we keep Sunday holy and not the seventh day Sabbath of the Bible? What was the pastor’s reply? He told her, “Because Jesus changed it.” She asked where it says that in the Bible and he told her, “It’s in there.” The conversation ended as he wanted no more questions. But the fact of the matter is that it is not in there. No where is such a change recorded in scripture.

Do you realize how dangerous it is to trust a man, just because he has been through seminary and ordained a pastor? Today there are many deceivers who have been ordained who have never been to a seminary, yet they work to win the trust of many, not really having the eternal interests of their congregations in mind. And most have no idea what they are forfeiting by trusting these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus has warned us  in scripture, Revelation 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”

Maybe a man has been through seminary and maybe he excelled in all his classes, so what is a man with a finite intelligence and a few years in an earthly school compared to the enemy of souls who had been endowed with a superior intellect, and has been in the school of human behavior for almost six thousand years?

The problem is and always has been pride. Ordained a pastor and called by God’s name Reverend, he or she quickly becomes filled with self, rather than emptied of self. He or she finds that the members of his or her congregations trust implicitly whatever he or she says, even if it is contrary to scripture. 

Jeremiah 17:5 “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”

Satan is playing for keeps. He wants you to be lost and he is pulling out all stops to make your loss certain. In some cases the pastors may be sincerely deceived. Satan wants you to trust your salvation to a man. Because it is a matter of tradition and his/her church has always done it this or that way, who would he be to make a change, even when the traditional belief contradicts the clear Word of God? We have only ourselves to blame if we are lost; the result of a failure to read and understand all the clear warnings and reproofs in scripture. 

2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  

No person can do anything to insure the salvation of another individual. It is our record only that will stand in the judgment. Do not put your trust in a man. Put your trust in God’s Word and make sure what a man has said is from God’s Word and not his own thoughts.

Let us look at what God says in His Word regarding those shepherds entrusted with leading the flock, God’s people. Keep in mind that religious leaders in scripture are also called priests, watchmen, shepherds & pastors.

Malachi 2:7-9 “For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.” 

Most pastors are nice, moral people. They do not go around with intentions of hurting anyone. I belong to the local ministerial association and all the clergy are nice people. But when they withhold truth or when they do not hold the Ten Commandments as a high standard, then they cause people to stumble at the law. When they do not proclaim the good news about God’s true Sabbath; rather continue to uphold Satan’s counterfeit Sabbath, then they are partial in the law.

Isaiah 30:9, 10 “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:”

The Christian church today has worked its way into full blown apostasy. They don’t want to hear God’s Law, they want their pastors to preach smooth messages that tickle their ears. They don’t want their sins pointed out, they want salvation in sin. So the pastors who are tied to their pensions and paychecks oblige.

Ezekiel 22:26, 28 “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.”

God has clearly shown in His Word what is clean and what is unclean. But today’s pastors say there is no difference. Religious leaders snub the holy, God’s Sabbath, hiding their eyes from it, while lifting the profane, Satan’s Sabbath. They say thus saith the Lord, Jesus changed the Sabbath, when the Lord hath not spoken.

Listen to what the Lord did say in Mark 7:6-9, 13 “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”

So obedience to God is trumped by tradition. Jesus calls it vain worship. He was quoting Isaiah. Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”  

God calls the pastors, the watchmen for the flock, blind, ignorant dumb dogs,  that cannot bark and more. So He says in Isaiah 56:10-12 “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”

It has been the case with ancient Israel, so it is the case with modern spiritual Israel; because they have forsaken the Law of God, God will ultimately have to reject and destroy the very people He tried to save. Without God’s Law, they are left to their sins, and no one will be saved in them.

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

Again in Matthew, Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees for their violation of the fifth commandment and instituting a tradition, which Jesus calls vain worship. And the leaders are the blind leading the blind.

Matthew 15:3, 6, 8, 9, 14 “But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” “And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Do you see, the people trust their leaders with their salvation, but ultimately it will be to their eternal loss.
Well time is up for this week. Next week we will continue our study with this important subject “The Arm of Flesh” - Part 2, and we will find the real truths in God’s Word on this very important subject.
If you would like to worship with seventh day Sabbath-keepers, come to the Victory Seventh Day Adventist Church in South Hill at 117 W. Danville Street, in the old Citizens Bank building, just a couple doors from the library.
Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Come Lord Jesus.