Dearest Ones,
Today on this Sabbath day, I want to welcome you into the family of God. Around the world people who love and serve me are coming into the churches and groves and home gatherings to seek and find me in association with others of like faith. This pleases me greatly and I assure you I will be visiting with a retinue of angels as my people come to meet with me.
Unfortunately, not everyone will be coming to meet me. Many have forgotten how to worship me in spirit and in truth. [John 4:23, 24.] For some it is little more than a social club and they are coming to meet together with friends. For others it is obedience to a requirement, but there is no love in their hearts for me or even for the others who are in attendance. For some it is a place of entertainment where the voices and instruments of music are praising someone other than me. But I choose not to let these things deter me from visiting with my people every Sabbath day, just as I have promised to do; and for those who truly come and worship and fellowship with me I will pour out a blessing!
Now for the topic of today. It is "faithfulness." Have you noticed that this word contains the word faith? I am requiring nothing that I myself do not have as a part of my character. In fact, I could not give you something that I do not possess. That is why my name is called "Faithful and True" [Rev. 19:11]. But I want to speak about the word "faith" first, because the word faithful must of necessity begin with faith. It is a word that is often spoken of but seldom understood. A great many see righteousness by faith as meaning that my righteousness covers their unfaithfulness and sins that have not been overcome. But I want a Bride who is willing to cleanse herself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit [2 Cor. 7:1] through my indwelling Spirit which gives cleansing and victory over every sin. Sin is disobedience, and disobedience is a result of unfaithfulness to me and my marriage covenant of love [Deut. 7:9, 12].
Would you want a wife who is unfaithful to you? No, you wouldn't want someone who gives you assurance of her love for you, while yearning for other lovers, and responding to their overtures. My beloved ones, please see me as your husband. I long for your entire devotion, and I am not going to ignore the sins in your life that are a result of the lusts of the flesh that you permit to be a part of your daily life. Satan is the other lover and he presents his allurements to capture your obescience unto him. When you willingly yield to his overtures and take the bait that pleases your senses, you are learning to be more in tune with him than you are with me. It is taking the forbidden fruit all over again.
I am not speaking here about genuine believers who follow me with their whole heart, but still have sins in their lives as a result of hereditary weaknesses and cultivated habits from childhood that have not yet been cleansed. I am talking about deliberate choices because you love the sin, and then expecting me to cover that with my righteousness so that you can continue in sin, yet hope for salvation. Does this make sense to you? Satan sinned in heaven and I had to cast him and his followers out. Do you think that I am now going to take sinners back into heaven when I have provided by my death on Calvary and my intercession in the heavenly Sanctuary a way back to complete recovery from sin and its results in the human heart?
But it takes faith to believe this, and faithfulness to persevere until it has been accomplished. You can be assured that I will be faithful to you as you are seeking for holiness of heart, mind, and spirit and even in your body as much as possible in this life. I must have a Bride whose mind, heart and spirit are completely in love with me and faithful to my marriage covenant - which is my law - and who is in complete agreement with me on the issue of sin. You can understand this, can't you? If Lucifer, who was created perfect, sinned while in heaven and was cast out, how could sinners on earth who are born with sinful propensities and tendencies cease to sin if taken into heaven unless they have been cleansed and proven faithful while here on this earth?
Oh, my beloved ones, I have been and will continue to be faithful to you. Will you not yield to the constraints of my love for you, and cooperate with me now, while there is yet time? I have loved you with an everlasting love, and I require an equal heart of devotion and faithfulness to me if you want to come to heaven and live with me forever. Will you surrender completely to me and leave off every sin and all sympathy with the devil, who is my enemy and yours, and allow me to fill you with my Spirit of love and faithfulness in every area of your life? In Revelation 14:5, my Bride is described as "blameless!" What a beautiful description of those who follow me through the complete cleansing that I offer you as you walk with me day by day! Will you surrender your heart to me today and allow me to do this in you? If so, you will soon be with me and sit on my throne as my beloved Bride! I am looking forward to that day so soon to come! Lovingly, Jesus.