SERMON - THE BOOK OF REVELATION IN WORDS OF UNDERSTANDING part 4

The Book of Revelation

In

Words of Understanding

Part 4

 

 

I have spoken about the Roman Catholic Church as being spoken about, by Jesus Christ, as He told John what He wanted written to the seven churches as named in the Book of Revelations. I also wrote of the Lutheran church, Protestant churches, the Church of God and of Paganism as well as heathens.

 

The churches, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant and the Church of God all profess to be Christian, but while some people that attend such churches may indeed be Christian their named Denominations are not as Christian as may be thought. I seek to explain this in today’s sermon and promise to do it within the Words that God has led me to voice.

 

The Roman Catholic Church has made claim that it is the “ One True Church .” They also teach that they were the first Church that taught Christian values.

 

Not so.

 

The first Christians were known as Followers of the Way. They were indeed the very first Christians and those are the men and women we read about in the New Testament. They were the Apostles, Paul and the Apostles named to replace any that were slain, martyred, or, in Judas’ case, committed suicide. Also there were friends, relatives and followers of Jesus Christ. There were Jews that came to believe in Jesus as our Redeemer and Gentiles were ‘grafted into” God’s Way.

 

The Roman Catholic Church began to make claims of being, The One True Church,” but in fact began to create Doctrines and name as Sacraments things that never had a place in God’s Word, the Bible. As God’s taught we must not alter His Word.

 

Revelation 22:18:19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.     

 

The Roman Catholic Church hereinafter referenced as RCC began to add Doctrines, Sacraments and rituals that, as stated before, were not mentioned in God’s Word.

 

At issue are: Infant Baptism, Church membership, calling Priest’s Father, almost Deification of Mary, prayers to Saints, Confession, Holy Eucharist, statues in church, religious holidays, prayers for the dead, works as a means to gain salvation,  and the Infallibility of the Pope.

 

Let’s look at each one separately: Infant Baptism: Baptism is a washing away of sins as a person realizes that Jesus Christ is his/her Lord and Savior. Although a child in born in sin, until he/she actually sins and comes to the realization that Jesus is Lord and Savior, no Baptism will accomplish anything. The parents may gain a happy feeling but the rite is meaningless. What would be a rite that had meaning would be the parents going before the congregation and stating their intent to raise a child by Christian values and with Christian teachings.

 

Church membership: Any man or women that accepts Jesus as his/her Lord and Savior and has themselves Baptized need no membership in anything as his/her name has been entered into The Book of Life in Heaven.

 

Calling a Priest Father: Matthew 23: 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.  God is the only true Father and in naming men as father, is to directly go in conflict with God’s Word.

 

Almost Deification of Mary: This act is one of the most confusing and misunderstood acts the RCC has perpetrated on man. Mary, the young woman selected by God to be the Mother of Jesus Christ, had to be sinless and spiritually sound in order for her to have been chosen. She is mentioned in God’s Word only a few times and she was never portrayed as anything other than a woman. The miracle of her being the vessel to bear Jesus Christ is without a doubt breathtaking as she did so while remaining virgin. This I believe but then, as written in God’s Word, she had other children. She was virgin when Jesus was born but later was not.

 

The RCC voices prayers to Mary and in my mind as well as in the minds of others, and that alone is reason for Mary, as a Saint, to cry. The RCC names their prayers to Mary as prayers for Intercession. The RCC teaches that prayers to Mary are actually prayers asking her to mediate or be the intercessor to Jesus Christ.

 

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,   

 

The followers of Islam are so confused by this issue so as to make claim that what the RCC teaches as the Holy Trinity is Father, Son and Mary! How very sad.

 

Then there is the claim of the RCC of Mary ascending to heaven, or as they call it, the Assumption. It does not appear in the Word of God and if it were truth I think God would have really pointed it out with no doubts as to it being something to make known.  There are more things about Mary that the RCC teaches but suffice it to be said, their claims are baseless as if it is not in God’s Word, it did not happen.

Prayers to Saints: Prayers are to be said to God alone, never to a man or man that has died. Even the angel that accompanied John as he wrote the Book of Revelation was told to pray to God and not to anyone else! In years past the RCC was very adamant that a person they had named Christopher was the Saint of travelers and named it as being sinful to ignore this Saint. There were medals cast in honor of this man. During my lifetime it has been determined that there is no such Saint! The question is, how many others are there of similar non-existences?

 

Confession:  Ezra 10: 11 Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers. Psalm 51: 1-7, 1 John 1:9.

 

Confession of your sins is to God and God alone. No man has the authority to forgive you from your sins and certainly not for the sake of a few prayers! If you have sinned, you must confess to God and state your intent to REPENT from that sin and to God. The RCC has gone so far as to have men and women confess to sins they had yet to commit! If simple logic and common sense does not allow a person to realize that if they purposely sin and do not try to refrain from that sin, they have not repented from that sin and God, time and time again states the need of repenting.

 

Holy Eucharist: At the last supper Jesus broke bread and prayed over it. His naming the bread as His Body and the wine as His Blood was to say, “If you believe in my Words and obey them, then you will be a child of God." If you recall, in the New Testament, when God references food, it is His Word He makes note of. Although Jesus asked that we, “Do this in remembrance of me,” He did not infer nor say, “The bread will undergo metamorphosis and change into My actual Flesh and Blood. Again, an imagination was perpetrated by the RCC.

 

Statues in Church: In the NIV, the Christian Bible, there are 34 written Scripture verses that give God’s unalterable view of images depicting man, animals and supposed ‘religious depictions created by man. He has made it known that He does not countenance such. Many Catholics claim to have been healed by statues! No inanimate object has the power to heal!

 

Religious days of observance: For years Catholics and Christian religions have taught that Jesus was born December 25^th, the crucifixion occurred on a Friday and Mary ascended to heaven on a particular day. Well, historians and anyone with the least bit of common sense can determine that Jesus was born well before December 25, the crucifixion occurred on a Wednesday (14^th day of the Jewish month Nisan [a Wednesday]) and that there in no mention of Mary ascending to heaven in any version of the Christian Bible, God’s Word. Most of the holidays the RCC have named as religious days were conveniently changed from Pagan days of observation to Holy Days by the RCC. As a Christian I will celebrate the birth of Jesus and His crucifixion as facts, but not realize the dates as anything other than conveniences.

 

Prayers for the dead: A man lives in faith and submits to the Lord or he does not. While it may be comforting for his loved ones to offer prayers for him, he has ‘made his bed’ with God. Nothing can change after death but one thing. God can do as he chooses and we must be forever praying for ourselves and our living loved ones. If a man has made the decision to ignore God while he is living, what can anyone do to change that man’s beliefs after his death?

 

Infallibility of the Pope:  This is an age old argument that cannot stand up to the light of truth. While the RCC claims Papal infallibility in matters of faith (Doctrine) this has been disproved time and time again. Look at Pope Hormisas, he declared that teaching the Assumption teaching was heretical and denied the Deity of Christ as did Pope Gelasius! Pope Boniface denied the Trinity. Pope Pius XII reversed Hormisas’ decisions, supposedly infallible in 1950. Pope Leo declared that freedom of thought as well as freedom of worship was denied!  I could cite more but suffice it to be said…No man is infallible at any time.

 

Just as the RCC teaches things that are un-Christian, the Protestant Denominations, who initially resulted from Martin Luther’s ‘split’ from the RCC, began to adopt many of the RCC teachings themselves. The greatest among them is that many declare, almost with a pride that is not easily understood by this Christian that if one was not of their Denomination they were, “going to hell.” I have heard that from so many Denominational Protestants, Lutherans, RCC, and even non-Christian believers! I have been told that, “You are doomed,” “You are damned to hell,” “Join us and you will be granted heaven, but if not, you are going to hell.” I have been called a “son of perdition,” by a Mormon and told “stop praying to Jesus, it is sinful,” by a supposed Non-Denominational Christian Pastor!

 

The long and short of it is, read Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

 

Read and study God’s Word and live a life according to His will. If you fall, look up to Him and confess your sin and repent from that sin to Him. I could go on to say more but that is what each of the sermons I send weekly are all about!

 

With this said, I will now return to the second series of the Book of Revelation in my next sermon.

 

(Closing prayer)

 

Father, Almighty God, we raise our hearts to You and offer You our praise and our worship. You are our God and You alone have given us the Words by which we are to live our lives. No man, no Denomination, and no other being can lay claim to You while denying You to any other. You are in our hearts and minds and we surrender our very beings to You and Your Holy Spirit. You have sent us Your Son, Jesus Christ and it is His teachings we seek to learn and understand. Praise be to You O Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

 

Lord, touch our hearts open our minds to Your truths and keep us under Your Heavenly protection.

 

Father, as ever, we ask that You protect our military, all the men and women we seek Your blessings for each week, and for all of Your children here on earth.  Be with each of them and extend to them Your Divine mercies.

 

In Jesus’ name we pray, who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever,

 

Amen, amen and amen.