Power House Message

May 10, 2008

Will You Be Able to Stand?

KEY TEXT: Luke 6:43-49

INTRODUCTION
God will not punish the world even though the world sins against God without a warning. In
the time of Noah, all of mankind was wiped out because of their sin. Through Noah and the
ark, God sent his warning that he would send a flood to wipe out mankind because of their
sin. For 120 years, Noah obeyed what God said and built the ark. While he was building the
ark, he proclaimed the judgment of God upon mankind. Nobody listened to him. Rather or
not the people believed in God’s warning, He fulfilled His promise of judgment. The flood
came and wiped away all the people of the world.

God’s warning for repentance to the church and nations:

1. New Orleans
There is a spiritual forecast throughout the world: all creation is proclaiming the coming of the
Lord! We see warning after warning just like the hurricane that hit New Orleans in 2005.
Water covered the entire city, just like a flood covered the world in Noah’s time. All these
occurrences are warnings…proving that what happened in Noah’s time is not a fictional story.

2. 스나미(tidal wave)
Here and there God is giving us a warning against the judgment of God. In the same year of
2005, a huge tidal wave covered the cities in Indonesia.

3. Myanmar
Last week, May third, Myanmar (Burma) was hit by a cyclone! At this point there are about
22,000 dead bodies found. They estimate about 100,000 people either missing or without
homes. What is happening in the world? God is saying, “WAKE UP!”

In California, we must repent! Through Hollywood, Southern California is sending out sinful
ripples such as pornography, violence, sex, etc. We must repent before God’s punishment
will fall upon our very homes.

Even in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, nobody listened to the judgment of God but
continued to live their worldly lives. Although they had warnings, God finally poured out his
anger upon the cities in his mighty judgment.

Will you be able to stand? 1

 Power House Message
May 10, 2008

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on
whom the fulfillment of the ages has come [They were written down to warn us who live at
the end of the age (NLT)] (1Cor. 10:11)”

*** All of these examples (Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah, etc.) were written to warn us who
are living in the end times!

Not only are the people who died in the Myanmar cyclone physically dead, they are spiritually
dead and are eternally separated from God. We have a choice, while we’re living in this
world, we can serve God or not serve God. The consequences are eternal. If you
choose/insist to live on your own, you will end up forever separated from God (hell).

Can you stand when judgment falls? Through scripture, let us see whether or not you are
ready to stand if judgment falls.

BODY
The only way that Noah and his family were saved was because they were in the ark. The
ark symbolizes Jesus Christ. If we are in Jesus Christ by believing in Him, then we are safe.

Then how do I know that I am in Him? How do I know I am saved and in the ark? The bible
is not silent about these questions.

I. How do we know that we will be able to stand on the day of judgment? How do we know
that we are in Jesus?
1. By the fruit we bear, we will know if we are in Jesus or not (Luke 6:44).
• If your lifestyle bears fruit similar to the rest of this world, you do not belong to
Jesus.
• Fruit is living one’s life for Jesus and His gospel (Mark 8:34-35).
2. Those who call Jesus Lord but do not do what He says will not be able to stand
(Luke 6:46-49)
• You know you are following Jesus because you do what he asks!
• In denying ourselves and what we want to do and do what Jesus says (if we live
for Him and not for ourselves) then we are saved.
• If we truly are saved, our lifestyle changes because of the new life we have
received in Him.

Will you be able to stand? 2

 Power House Message
May 10, 2008

•That does not mean that we will never sin! We will because we are born as
sinners. However, our lifestyle does not change and when we sin, we will repent
for forgiveness.
• Example: Uncle’s testimony – I used to live for myself, heavy metal rock, and
lustful desires. But when I met Jesus, my life completely changed! I no longer
live for those things but now I live for the gospel and for Jesus Christ.
• DO NOT PLAY CHURCH. Church will not save you. By the fruit you know
whether or not you are saved (Luke 6:46).
o Those who live by Jesus’ word they are like a person who builds their
house upon the rock. Even if the flood comes they will be able to stand
(Luke 6: 47-48).
o Those who hear the word of God AND STILL live according to
themselves, when the flood comes, they will not be able to stand (Luke
6:49).
3. Apostles agree with what Jesus says in terms of true conversion.
• Paul (Rom. 6:1-4)
• John (1Jn. 2:3-6)

Now that you understand it is by fruit you can see whether or not you are saved, how can you
then live a life for Jesus?

Story: Yesterday I went to Victorville. We stopped by a restaurant to eat. As we were trying

to leave, the owner of the restaurant asked us how to be sure of their salvation. They had
been going to church year after year yet still, they did not know if they were saved or not.

There may be some of you in this room who have been going to church since you were in
your mother’s womb. Yet still you may not have experience a true conversion. The bible is
so clear: REPENT OF YOUR SINS and turn back to me, Jesus Christ your Lord. What is
believing in Jesus?

Story: My family and I went to Nepal in the year 2000. I told the people, “Jesus loves you.”
The people said, “Oh yeah, we believe in Jesus.” When I asked them who Jesus was to
them, they said he was one of the prophets, one of many other gods like Buddha, cow, etc.

Who is Jesus to you?

Will you be able to stand? 3

 Power House Message
May 10, 2008

Another story: The Israelites, while Moses was receiving the law from God for 40 days, the
people thought Moses was dead. They asked Aaron to make a god that they could worship.
They made a golden calf, calling it Jehovah, the one who delivered them from Egypt. Moses
and God were so mad!

What kind of Jesus are you believing in? Jesus came to save you from your sin! God says
to turn away from your wicked lifestyle and turn to him. Have you experienced that clear,
turning-point? True repentance is turning your life away from sin and towards God.

Today is the day that you will experience that clear turning-point towards God.

II. How can we deny ourselves and live for Jesus and His gospel?
1. You must receive the life of Jesus (1Jn. 3:9).
2. Repent and believe in the good news of Jesus, in Him we have forgiveness of our
sins.
• Jesus has taken all of our sins and through him we are in the ark.
• If you experience true repentance…God says that He will send His spirit to us
that Jesus Christ will come into our hearts.
3. Then we will receive the Holy Spirit who will be the guarantee of our salvation (Acts
2:38; 2Cor. 1:21-22).
• Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to overcome sin.
• By believing in Jesus we have a new master that is living within us and we are
set on the foundation of God’s eternal kingdom.
o 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 – “Now it is God who makes both us and you
stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us,
and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to
come.”
 So that you will escape the wrath of God and inherit the Kingdom,
God sends His Holy Spirit that you will be in Jesus.
o 1 John 3:9 – “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because
God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has
been born of God.”
 We cannot continue to sin (live a worldly lifestyle). The bible does
not say that we will never sin…it says that we cannot continue to
sin because God’s seed is in us!

Will you be able to stand? 4

 Power House Message
May 10, 2008

CONCLUSION
1. Will you be able to stand?
2. Are you willing to give up your life to Jesus and allow Him to work through you?

Are you born of God? If you are born of God you have God’s seed in you and you can bear
fruit for Jesus Christ and the gospel. That does not mean you are perfect but you will follow
Jesus Christ. Once you have this life, God can use you to save many souls.

Think about Myanmar. So many people died and many of those people never heard about
the gospel message. God’s judgment is near while the church is sleeping. You must wake
up and save souls! We will go and save the world, once we have received true life!

QUESTIONS

How many of you know how World War II began? We could have avoided WWII! How?
America thought they had received a surprise attack from Japan. However, somebody had
informed the American intelligence that the Japanese were mobilizing their troops. The guy
in the submarine heard the message from the Japanese, warning us of the attack. The
submarine message guy told the commander but the commander brushed it off. After the
Japanese attacked, the commander brought the message…but it was too late. Although they
had been warned, they did not heed the warning.

As I read an article from a non-Christian newspaper, even the non-believers said the end of
the age is coming when they were reporting about the Myanmar cyclone. Even non-
Christians understand this world is ending! Yet all around the world God is giving us
warnings and we are not heeding these warnings!

1. How seriously do you heed the warning of God? What would happen if you did not
handle His warnings seriously?
2. In order to stand at the end of the age, you must be in the ark of salvation (assurance
of salvation). Are you in the ark (are you saved)? How do you know you are saved?
3. What would be the evidence that you are in the ark?

22,000 people are not just a number! May God pour out his mercy upon us.

Will you be able to stand? 5