Summary of dr. Péter Hack’s sermon on november 13, 2022
Christianity looks to the future, not to preserve the past. The messages of the Bible strongly focus on the future. In addition to looking back at Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, our faith today revolves around the expectation of Jesus Christ’s coming.
Apostle Paul warns believers not to be deceived by false teachings that the day of the Lord has already come.
This is to happen in the future, and it is important that we stand on the right side and become worthy to be taken by the Lord. There are conditions for the return of Jesus Christ. When God created the visible world, he prepared it for man. He also wanted to show every creature that obedience to Him brings joy to man, as the meaning of Eden is beauty. However, man could not fulfill his simple task of guarding the garden and instead turned to the service of the devil, instead of serving God. There is no third way; either man serves God or the devil.
AFTER THE FALL OF MAN, GOD DID NOT GIVE UP ON MAN, BUT PROMISED REDEMPTION IMMEDIATELY.
Since the prince of this world became the devil, it is important to know that God is not responsible for suffering. The lawbreaker contradicts God’s law in everything. The spirit of the world opposes every commandment of the Ten Commandments.
Paul’s letter provides hope that the lawbreaker will be consumed by the breath of the Lord’s mouth, but the Word declares that before that happens, the Wicked will also perform wonders and appear with lies and power.
What does lies mean? The appearance of the Wicked is getting closer, so lies are spreading more and more in the world. Satan is the father of lies. One of his lies is that every human being will go to heaven at the end of their earthly life, and another is that they will be reincarnated into another forms of existence. Materialists believe that man is destroyed after death. This is also a lie, that is, a statement that wants to separate man from God.
WHEN MAN HEARS SOMETHING, IT IS WORTH EXAMINING WHETHER ACCEPTING IT BRINGS HIM CLOSER TO GOD OR REMOVES HIM FROM HIM. DO NOT LET YOURSELF BE DECEIVED EVEN IF THE SEEDS OF TRUTH ARE MIXED INTO LIES!
The first consequence of lying is the hardening of people’s hearts and the creation of a dishonest, unbelieving heart. By accepting lies, people are capable of forgetting what God has done for them. This happened to the people who were freed from Egypt when they faced difficulties. A hard-hearted person is unable to work with God but rather cynically stands against Him. Those with a soft heart are happy when a person’s problem is solved. Let us never allow our hearts to harden because of lies! The devil wants to harden our hearts because he knows that it is the center of our personality.
A hard-hearted person cannot come to God because it is only possible with a soft, obedient heart. The remedy for this is to cast out lies from our hearts.
This is a serious danger because even the disciples who were with Jesus fell into this mistake. We can only come before God with a pure and honest heart. There is no hatred in a pure heart, nothing that would open the way for lies. Therefore, we must follow the truth, and we can find out what the truth is from the Bible. Satan comes with power and lies, and we can resist him only by worshiping God in spirit and in truth.
We find the truth in Jesus Christ. Fellowship with the Word means fellowship with Jesus Christ, and this is an antidote to lies.
The essence of a Christian’s life is to remain in the truth, which results in mercy, peace, and grace surrounding him. The truth cannot be overruled, even if the high-ranking representatives of large denominations are involved in rewriting it.
God does not leave believers powerless against the forces of evil, as He promised that we can receive strength through repentance and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Even when some find this strange, we still need strength, because it is better to be strange and strong than to be weak as people expect us to be.
It is not enough to counter lies with the truth, because lies come with power, so we need to confront them with power. When the truth is preached, God ensures that people see the power because the proclamation of the truth is accompanied by signs and miracles.
We should not let the reading of the Bible and attending church become an empty routine, but with the desire to know the truth better. Through the knowledge of the truth, we can avoid the judgment that will come upon the world, which God will not withhold at the end of times. Then, the scope of lying will be greater than ever before. This process has already started, but there are still things that hold it back, so the time of wrath is not yet here.
The prophecy speaks of the last times where there will be two sides. Let us strive to stand on the side of good, on the side of truth.
We should grasp the truth not only with our minds but primarily with our hearts. For this, our hearts must be soft, we must receive the implanted Word with gentleness, and make decisions from our hearts.
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
I rejoiced greatly that I found of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. (2.John 1:3-4)
THE SCRIPTURE READINGS:
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-15
- John 8:44-45, 1:14, 14:6, 8:31
- Exodus 17:2-6
- Hebrews 3:7-12, 3:15-19, 4:7-8, 10:22
- Mark 3:1-5, 6:50-52, 8:15-21, 16:20
- Romans 10:10
- 2 John 1-4