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sermon: What You Think You Have Can Be Taken Away

Clyde Finklea
Given 22-Aug-26; Sermon #1890A; 34 minutes

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Isn't it true that um one of the keys to life. And good relationships is effective communication. And to have effective communication for that to occur, there must be effective listening. Now this is just one of the reasons that we must take the our, our Bible study and our prayers and stuff that we do very seriously. Uh, so we need to learn that we are here. We are called here today on the Sabbath day to listen to God. Even though he has chosen to use human instruments to communicate with us. Now in the scriptures, we have a, a specific statement says, here is the word of the Lord. It occurs like 33 times in the New King James and 33 times in the faithful version, probably the same places. Uh, and the word listen is actually found several 100 times, and the majority of these passages in some way deal with listening to the Lord. Here is also found several 100 times. And again, many of these also have to do with hearing God's word. Now we also find a number of comments like, Incline your ear. Or give ear or pay or give attention and similar expressions are, are used in various ways to call God's people to listen intently to God. I mean in the New Testament, the Lord warns us. To consider carefully what you hear and that's in Mark 4:24 and in, in in Luke's version, he says, how are you hear in Luke 8 8:18 and we will be seeing that one in a little bit. Now the words today, if you hear his voice are found 3 times in Hebrews and once in the Old Testament, that's Hebrews 3rd chapter, verse 7 and 15 and chapter 4 and verse 7 and Psalms 95:7, if you're interested in looking at those up. But 7 times, once in each of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we read, he who has an ear to hear. Let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. Now in March 4, Verse 9 and 23. The Lord gives us a warning. He said, he who has ears to hear. Let him hear And again in Luke 8 verse 8, he says, the one who has ears here. Let him hear Now, In the new English translation, which I'm going to be using, I think from here on out, um, if I'm not, I'll, I'll let you know, but It said in a New English translation that translates that whoever has ears to hear. Had better listen That's a pretty stern warning. So remember the story of the transfiguration, you know, we've, we've heard that many times. Where Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain. Let's look at that again in Matthew 17. And beginning in verse 2, Matthew 17, beginning in verse 2. It says And Jesus, no, Jesus was not speaking here, but it says he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them talking with him. Verse 4, he says, so Peter says to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I'll make 3 shelters. Now I'm thinking in the King James probably or New King James it says tabernacles. He says, I'll, I'll make 3 shelters or tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. And those 1st 5, while he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed, overshadowed them. And a voice from the cloud said, This is my one dear son. In whom I take great delight. Listen to him. I guess poor old Peter was shaking in his boots after that. Um, then, when the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and they threw themselves down with their faces to the I can imagine poor old James and Johnny was probably saying, Peter, we told you not to say nothing. Anyway, poor old Peter. So is it not um significant that one of the titles of the Son of God is the great word term logos? You've probably heard this before, right? It, it refers to some form of communication. I mean speech, words, saying, discourse, and as the logos. Jesus Christ is the living word of God to man. Remember was said in the Gospel of John, first chapter. In the beginning, Was the word, that's the word logos. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Then later on down in about I think it's chapter verse 14 of John 1, I said that the word became flesh and tabernacle with us. So he's the one. That was the word, and he was God in the beginning who became Jesus Christ our Lord. When you look at these things, it um You know, the point of all this is pretty simple. You know, God has a lot to say to us because, you know, he, he is the all wise and all sovereign God and I think it's very imperative that to us for us to listen carefully to what he says. But we are still human. And we are like so prone to be distracted and drawn away with other things. Well, even good things. We can um be easily become like Martha. Remember the story of marrying Martha? Uh good friends of Jesus. Well, we will look at that here in a minute. She was distracted by so many rather than a Mary. Who sat at the feet of the savior, what was she sitting there to do? To hear him, to hear his word. So if you want to, you can be and turn it over to Luke 10. We'll find this there, Luke, the 10th chapter in verse we will begin in verse 38. Luke 10:38. Now as they were traveling along, he entered a certain village and a woman named Martha welcomed, welcomed him into his, to her home. Um, verse 39, and she had a sister called Mary, and who moreover was listening to the Lord's word, seated at his feet. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations and she came up to, to Jesus and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me. Well, the Lord answered. And said to her, I can, I can almost imagine him going, Martha, Martha. You are worried and bothered about so many things. Anyway, but only a few things are necessary, really only one. While Mary has chosen the good part. Which shall not be taken away from her. Now I want you to kind of hang on to that last portion there cause we are going to be with you when you said which is, which shall not be taken from her. Uh, because we are going to be talking a little bit about this later on as we go through this message. Um, all right, now let's, um, let's, let's also turn over to Luke the 8th chapter. I'll turn back a few pages to Luke 8. And we are gonna, we are going to take a look at, again at the parable of door. Now, verse 8, we will begin in verse 4, Parable of the sword. While a large crowd was gathering and the people were coming to Jesus from one town after another. He spoke to them in a parable. And, um, in verse 5, he said a sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed some fell along the path. And was trampled on. And the wild birds devoured it. Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. The Other seed fell among thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. But other seed fell on good soil and grew and it produced 100 times as much grain. And as he said this, he called out. Um, the one who has ears to hear. had better to listen. Then the disciples ask him. Um, what the, actually what the parable meant. And he said, in verse 10, you have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God. But for others, they are in parables, so that although they see, they may not see, and all, although they hear. They may not understand. So when he talks about those who have ears had better listen, he's talking about those who he is talking to that hear with understanding. Uh, in Luke 8, verse 11, he begins to explain the parable, he said, now the parable means this. The sea is the word of God. Now, what we are going to look at here is we are going to see here that there are 4 categories of people and me being affiliated with the church for over 50 years. I have seen each one of these, and, and I would imagine that many of you have also seen these categories of people as well. And, and we will talk about it as we go through it. But it's the 3rd category. That concerns me the most. And that will be the one that we are going to be focusing on the most. Because when we get to it and we begin to talk about it, I want to compare it. To the lay of the scene. I think you'll see that there is a little bit of a connection there. All right, verse 12. Luke 12, he said, those along the path. are the ones who have heard, they heard the word, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. Now, I have um. I've known a lot of people Um, that listened to Herbert Armstrong's program. I had people I worked with. Oh, man, he loved Herbert Armstrong. Oh, he just loved listening to him. I remember one guy when Herbert Armstrong actually died back in '86, he called me. I do not know how he got my phone number, but he called me and, um, he was, he was almost in tears. He says, you know, Herbert Armstrong died. I said, yeah, yeah, he did. And, um, you know, we talked a while. I, I do not actually remember the conversation anymore from that. But he was so, he was so down about that. But you know, I never. I never knew if he ever attended church anywhere. He, he, he just probably just let it go after that. Um, Because we have an enemy. That is ready to devour us as soon. And, and as quickly as he can. And first, remember in the I Peter 5:8, you do not have to turn now, I'll just read it to you. You've heard this, heard this many times, where he says, be sober and alert. Your enemy, the devil is a roaring lion. He is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. He's always ready to devour you. He has tried to destroy. Um, and it has brought about counterfeits and trying to deceive people since the very beginning. Uh, just like, um Craig was talking about, you know, he just, how he deceived Eve right from the beginning. And he's never let up ever since. All right, so these are the ones, um, Uh, in that, in this category, you know, you might, they might come into the church for a very short period, some of them do, and then all of a sudden you never see them again. I remember a, a man back when we've in the worldwide, I believe it's probably in the late 70s probably or maybe it was. Uh, but it was before John had left because John was the minister there. So, um, and he, it was a, a guy we knew back when we was a teenager. Uh, he showed up one Sabbath. I did not know his name, but we used to gather together in what we call a youth center where they had bands sometime, played music, we danced, and there was a guy there who He was a, he looked, he was a teenager, but he looked like a professional dancer. And that's how I remembered him. He probably did not remember us at all. We did not, I did not do nothing special. Uh, I did not attract nobody back then, but everybody would look at him when he would dance. And if I, my memory serves me correct I believe his mother actually owned a, a dancing studio. Uh, it seems like I heard that years ago. Um, somebody talking about him. But we actually spoke to him. We were very excited to see somebody that we knew back from the past, from the OU center, and um, we thought maybe he's being called, you know, he's coming to church, he's gonna, he wanted to talk to Mr. Wrightba, the minister. So, um, later on, he, he, I remember him talking to John, but. Uh, he left, um. And he never come back Now I do not know if he went somewhere else or another church. Well, back then we went to worldwide, you know, the only other ones he could have went with maybe to Fred Coulter or, or Ted, Ted Armstrong or one of them, but he, he, um, He left. We never seen him again. Now I'm sure there are many, there are many who have never made it even that far. Like I just told you a while ago about the guy I knew out in the, on the construction site. Uh, he, he, he, I do not think he ever made it even come to church. Uh, well, let's look at the next category here uh, in verse 13. Those on the rock, um, those on the rock are the ones who received the word with joy. When they hear it, But they have no root. They believed for a while, but in a time of testing, Or, I think when translation says any time of persecution or whatever, um, things get kind of tough, they fall away. Um, I've known people. Um, to have attended church for quite a, quite a while. I do not, I do not think they ever were baptized, but they, they were there for quite a while and before you know it, they are gone and you do not see them and they left and you, they do not return. I do not, do not really know what happened to them. Again, this is, just I'm thinking back in worldwind, but because they have no root, he says they have no, that means they have no real, no real commitment. You know, if, if, if, if somebody Well, Uh, I'll talk about it in a minute. Um, no, I agree there. I think one of the, you most agree that the Sabbath uh, was our first test commandment. I mean Mr. Armstrong always saying the test commandment was the Sabbath. So If you, you know, if you have no real commitment that is no root, then you, you, you're not going to give up your job to keep the Sabbath. It, it just ain't going to happen. You're just not going to do it. You're going to make up all the excuses in the world. Well, you know, I, I'd like to go to church, but I got, I got to feed my family. I got to work. I can't lose my job, and so on. So they end up, you know, falling away and never coming back again. So, um, where are we at? Luke 14, this is the 3rd category, this is the category. Of people that concerns me the most. And as we go through this, I think you'll, you'll see and understand why. As for the seed, you know Jesus goes on to say, as for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear. But as they go on their way, they are choked. By the worries. Now some translations say cares or anxieties. Uh, and this is all through the idea of distractions. And so they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life. And their fruit does not mature. Now the reason this one concerns me the most, the most is because it mentions fruit. We all know when John. Um, chapter 15, the Gospel of John. Uh, it talks there about the vineyard and about Jesus being divine with the branches and, and you know, unless you abide in me, you can do nothing. And we know that uh if, if you, if the branch is broken off of the vine and it withers, then it's good for nothing to be thrown in the fire. I think that's kind of how it puts it. And that's a scary thing because um. You know, this, this, um, this, that's why this category is so concerning to me because it shows that they may have had, were producing some fruit. Now it takes a while to develop fruit. And it takes a while for fruit to come to maturity, but the fruit never did reach maturity, so they stopped growing, right? They stopped producing fruit, they stopped growing in Christ, and um. They fall away. Or as we are going to see here as we compare them to the Laodiceans. God spews them out of his mouth and we will look at that again a little bit. Let's continue with the last group, then we will come back to this group and compare them to the, to the lay of the sin. Church. Uh, in verse 15, he says, but as for the seed that landed on good soil, These are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. And we all understand that this word, this Greek word for endurance here is hooperoni or something like that, hooperon, however it's pronounced. Anyway, and we all know it, it means endurance under extreme pressure or provocation. So you have to You can't just give up when the going gets tough, so to speak. But anyway, because there is going to be a lot of trials, a lot of testing, and there is going to be a lot of pressure. Um, sometimes for people to give up, especially in the beginning. Anyway, Luke 18 Christ goes on to say, so listen carefully. Now the faithful Version, the New King James translates it, therefore take heed how you hear. I remember I said I said in the beginning when we were talking about um When we were talking about Mary and Martha. I remember what I said in the beginning what he said about to Martha, he said, Um, he said that he answered her and said, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only a few things are necessary, really only one. For Mary has chosen the good part which she shall not, which shall not be taken away from her. In other words, she chose to sit at Christ's feet and to listen to him to gain understanding. And Christ said it's not going to be taken away from her. That is the understanding she receives from Christ. Now, Martha, of course, was busy and distracted. Um, how much she heard, I do not know. Um, maybe she changed later on. Um, I do not, I do not really know. But in back in Luke 8 again in verse 18. Um, Uh, it says, therefore, take heed how you hear, for whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have even what he thinks he has will be taken from him. I, I've read that many, many times over the years. I've, I've thought about it over and over many times and I'm thinking, What did Christ mean by this, really? You know, sometimes you just read over things and you just say, OK, and just carry on. Um, so what did he mean by this? He started off by saying, whoever has will be given more. Well, I want to show you from letters to the seven churches some of the things that will be given. And I'm just going to read through them. You, you've heard them before, just in Revelation 2 and 3. I'm not going to bring, I do not need to necessarily bring out what verse they are. You can go read through the letters yourself and you'll see what I mean. Uh, first of all, he says, I think he says this, I will about 7 times, he says, I will give to each of, to each, I will give to each the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. I will give you the crown of life, and you will not be hurt by the second death. Next church, he says, I will give you, I will give to eat, give you to eat of the hidden manner and we will give to him a white stone, and in the stone, a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it. I will give power over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, and I will give him the morning star. I will not blot his name out of the book of life. But I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels. I will make him a pillar. In the temple of my God, and he will go out no more, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God in my new name. I will grant him to sit with me in my throne, even as I have sat down with my father in his throne, and they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with Him for 1000 years. That's what's going to be given. Through the ones That have That has. Hopefully, we will see what that means here in a minute. These are those in category 4. It landed on good ground and they produced fruit. And they listened and they understood. And they grew and produced fruit. OK, back to Luke 8 again. Um let's look at verse 18 again. If you haven't, I should have told you to hang on to that. Anyway, but it says in reverse of that thing, whoever does not have even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him. Now, here Jesus is warning us that what you think you have can be taken away. So now let's take it just now and compare it. To this category 3 group to the Laodiceans in Revelation, the 3rd chapter. And if you would, you can begin turning there Revelation 3. And we will look at this letter to the Laodiceans beginning in verse 14. It says to the angel of the church in Laodicea, write the following. This is the solemn pronouncement of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation. In verse 15, I know your deeds that you were neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. In verse 16, he said, because you were lukewarm. And either cold or hot, I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth. In verse 17, he tells us why. He said, because you say. I am rich and have acquired great wealth and need nothing. You see, they thought they had. But what they thought they had, we are going to see. I was going to take it away from them. Now it goes on to say, but in the net Bible, New England, it says, but, but do you, do not realize, speaking again then, um, that they acquired great wealth need and need nothing, but do not realize now, faithful version translates it as you do not understand. That you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Now in verse 18, he said, take my advice, buy, buy gold for me, refined it by the fire so you can become rich. Buy for me white clothing. That's white clothing represents a repentance. So you can be clothed in your shamefulness, shameful naked will not be exposed. That means your sins, you know, the, the shame of your sins and what you were doing will not be exposed. And by eyesalve to put on your eyes so you can see. Then he says All those I love, I rebuke and discipline, so be earnest and repent. He says, listen, now listen to this. This is interesting in verse 20. I'm standing at the door and knocking. Notice that. Ice is on the outside. He's vomited them out of his mouth, and they are no longer in him. They're not abiding in Christ, and Christ said, without Him you can do nothing. That's where the fruit does not mature. It is because Christ at this point, he has removed himself or removed his spirit from them. It's the way I see it. If my understanding is correct, Um, this is what I see. They stop producing fruit. It never comes to full maturity. We have to stay with Christ all the way to the end until we are changed to become, you know, what he is. So they give up. Uh, these did not really give up. They just Though they had something, they thought they had God's spirit, they thought they had understanding, but Christ said, no, you do not. You're miserable, pitiful, wretched. Now. And I'm out here knocking on your door. I'm ready to come back into you and abide inside of you. Remember the, the, the demons that were in that guy and they, they run him off and he come back when he wandered around and he could not want to go back to where he came from, and he said he found it clean and well swept in his house, so. Jesus is saying, if you repent, And returned to me. I'll come in, he says. He said, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, that's what he repents and invites me back in. I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me. In other words, he'll He'll sit down and start working with you again. God does not give up on us easily. Remember he said those I love are disciplined and correct. He said, but that doesn't, you know, he loves us, but, but. He doesn't compromise either. Doesn't compromise. With sin at all. And again, if we do not bear fruit. The fruit that is spoken of back there in John 15 again says that some that if, you know, the Father. Uh, is glorified by the fruit we bear, if we bear much fruit. That's what he's looking for. Us to continue to bear fruit. But if it stops, And we stop and we give up and we neglect. That which we think we have. Can't be taken away from us. Now, there is um There is an indication. Um, That half of them live in the churches of Christ. Uh, when Christ returns, will be, will not be in the first resurrection. There, there are indications that you have those that were wanted grinding at the wheel, memory was taken, the other one was in the 2 in the bed, one was taken, one was left. And then we have the parable of the 10 virgins that. 5 were wise. What did they have? They were still producing fruit, they still had God's spirit. The other five fought. They had God's spirit, but they apparently Did not, you see what they thought they had. was taken away from them. Because they did not have any oil. But they were pretty much like the lay of the sea and what we are talking about here from the lay of the sea, and I do not know that all lay of the seas. We like that, but I know that there is probably many of them that did. Repent and, and And change and come back to Christ because And the reason for this is because whoever does not have even that which he thinks he has. will be taken from him. I hope this is I hope this is really. Getting home, it takes you a while, you think about, well, I, yeah, I hear, I hear, I hear a word, I hear, I listen. I listen. How many times have you? Listen to something, a sermon or message or, and you next day say, what was it about? I do not know. I do not remember. Well, how intensely were you listening? I've, I've done this myself. How intensely was I listening? Was I listening carefully at what was being said? Or was that just Being distracted My thing. Well, I think you get the message, right. I want to, you know, we will, we will begin to wrap this up. From the summarized, I want, I want to quote from the summarized Bible commentary at the conclusion of the letters to the seven churches. And, and a, and a reason I quote. Let the believer keep his spiritual ears open continually. For the voice of the Holy Spirit. Lest he be found merely professing the name of Christian and not having the power thereof. Or lest he grow lukewarm toward Christ. And so be taken unawares or even found to be a counterfeit. At the sudden appearing of Christ in His glory. And we do not want that to be us. But when you think about this, how serious this is. How serious it is that we listened. To the words of our Lord carefully because His words are whose words. Did he not say the words I speak are not mine, but are the Father's? They come from the Father. I speak what I, what the Father told him to speak. So the bottom line, rather, and we will, I'll just close here with this statement. I think my time is probably about up. The bottom line is that listening to God. is no small issue. Let's take Christ's warning. Very, very seriously and take heed how you hear. And do not forget this, OK? Don't forget this statement, for whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have even what he thinks he has. will be taken from you