How not to fall off the Path

 

In the little book that’s called Word to the Little Flock, published in 1847, Ellen White saw in vision the people of God traveling up the narrow path to the Holy City. In recording what she saw, she said people fell off the path all the way, until the voice of God was heard. That is one of the most startling statements in the Spirit of Prophecy. They fell off the path all the way until the voice of God was heard.

 

When is the voice of God heard? That’s just a few days before the Second Coming. Why do people fall off the path? let’s read about it from Testimonies for the Church, volume 1, page 187. This reference is talking about, again, God’s people going up the narrow way, walking up the narrow path, and it says: “God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. “

 

What is in your heart? You have to think this through. In the process of the shaking, the judgment, whatever is in your heart is going to be manifest, because God is going to arrange it.

 

 

 

 

Now, if there is something in my heart that shouldn’t be there, God’s going to bring me to a point where either that’s going to come out of my heart or it’s going to become manifest that that’s in my heart, and I’ll fall off the path.

 

“Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer.” Ibid.

Let’s think that through some more.

 

When it says the heart is tested and tried a little closer, what is that talking about? What is it that’s coming so close to the heart? Well, if you love Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind, and you love your neighbor as yourself, it doesn’t matter how you’re tested, because you’ll past the test.

But ….if you have selfishness in your heart.

.…If you have pride in your heart.

….If you have the love of the world in your heart.

….If you have evil passions in your heart.

….If you have pride of opinion in your heart, the Lord’s going to bring you to a point where you are going to see that.

 

These things must come out of your heart, or you are going to fall off the path. That’s what it’s talking about.

 

 “At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, or they would be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the angel: “God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people. Some are willing to receive one point.”

 I’ll give you an example. One point is health reform. Has God given to His people a message about health reform? Has there been anybody anywhere that's rejected it? Thousands! Thousands fall off the path on that point. They don’t accept it.

That’s what happened to the children of Israel, too. They got out there in the wilderness, and they said, this is terrible! All we have is this manna to eat… When we were in Egypt, we used to eat fish for nothing. The Scriptures say they were murmuring and complaining because of the fleshpots of Egypt. They said, we don't have any garlic out here; we don’t have any cucumbers; we don’t have any leeks; and we don’t have any of the watermelons. We don’t have the fish. (See Numbers 11:5.)

So they fell off the path on the point of health reform. Thousands died.

So some people fall off on that point, but that’s just one point. Here’s a question…..

.....”Can a person accept the message that God has given His people in health reform but then fall off on some other point?”

 

 Oh, sure!  “Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol.”

 

Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proven over a length of time to see if they will sacrifice & destroy their idols and heed the counsel of Jesus who is the True Witness.

 

My good friends, tonight Whatever point it is you may be struggling with, the Lord is willing to give you time……. But, of course, you don’t have forever. You’re given time to see if you’ll sacrifice your idols and heed the counsels Jesus.

So then.... How do I keep from falling off the path?

Answer…If you’re purified.

 

That’s directly from the Bible, in 1 Peter 1:22. It says,

“Purifying your souls by obedience of the truth unto love of the brothers without hypocrisy or without pretense”

 

 [in other words, genuine] out of a pure heart, see to it that you love one another fervently (passionately)

 

Have you had that experience? You purify your hearts by obedience of the truth. Whatever truth the Lord shows you, as you follow it, you are in a purification process.

 

God is going to have a people, and when He gets done with His people, they’re not going to have any blemish; they’re not going to have any spot; they’re not going to have any wrinkle; they’re going to be holy, without blemish. Ephesians 5:27

 

If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: “They are joined to their idols, let them alone.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

 

 The Lord told Ezekiel, when anybody comes to Me and he has idols in his heart, I will answer that person according to his idols. They’re joined to their idols, let them alone.

 

So now you see why we have so much trouble, in the church. I am going to be brutally honest with you my friends…..We might as well face it.….  

There are still people in the church who have not overcome their evil traits; their sinful traits are un-subdued, and these people, are under the control of evil angels. And that makes trouble in the church!!!

 

Here’s another question ....Would you like to get out of this world?

 

There’s going to be a group of people who gets out of this world, They’re the people that obey willingly as God reveals to them the truth in His word.

·       They have to sacrifice selfishness to obey it.

·       They have to sacrifice covetousness to obey it.

·       They have to sacrifice the love of this world to obey it.

·       They have to sacrifice their fallen, sinful appetites and passions to obey it.

·       They have to sacrifice pride to obey it.

·       They have to sacrifice every idol to obey it.

·

If you make that sacrifice and you purify your souls by obeying the truth and overcome, no matter what the price, you are going to receive the latter rain and be fitted for translation. …….Yes!!!!That’s exciting news…and that’s the good part….Its happening now!!

 

But there is an awful part…..and this is it….

“there are people falling off the path right now, and that’s why the churches everywhere in the world are being shaken.”

 

Some of you may ask, “What has happened? We’ve had peace in this church for years and years, and now, all of a sudden, everything’s turned upside down. ?

 

Let me tell you what’s happening…..

 

What has happened is that, as we go up the path, God is revealing things to people about themselves. He brings them up to a point that’s calculated to manifest what is really in their heart.

For example, perhaps you really don’t care for some brother or some sister in the church, but you’ll get along with them. Think this through; you cannot go to heaven that way. So God is going to bring you up to a testing point where either you are going to overcome and learn to love that brother or sister or you are going to go the other way and eventually hate them and show it openly. If the latter happens, then you will fall off the path.

Let me hasten to say ….That’s true for all of us, and its true especially for our enemies.

Have you ever thought about the fact that there might be somebody that is your enemy who could end up in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” (See Luke 6:27.)

 

You don’t know what’s in their hearts. They may be making a lot of mistakes right now, and they may be doing stupid things now, and there may be a lot of growth that they need now, but you need to love them now, because the Lord may be working with them.

 

When we get to heaven, we’re going to be very surprised by the people that we see there. And we’re also going to be very surprised by the people we thought would be there who aren’t there.

So God takes us up a path, and He brings things that are calculated to reveal what’s in our hearts.

                  If this is happening to you, that’s good news. You better thank the good Lord and pray and say, “Lord, help me to purify my soul by obeying the truth and putting away every idol. If this is not happening to you, you better get alarmed.

                 If this is not happening to you, either you’re already ready for translation, or otherwise, you’re blind and don’t know what’s going on, because this is happening all over the world.

God is leading His children up the path, and things are happening that are revealing to them what’s in their hearts: things they didn’t even know were there before. But God is merciful. Instead of just destroying us because these things are in our hearts that are wrong, He takes us up, and He shows us what’s wrong, and then we have an opportunity to do something about it. Be thankful that the Lord does that.

·       The subject of how not to fall off the path is a huge subject, but let’s look at a few Bible points. We’ll look at the one big, secret writer first. In I Corinthians 13:8, your Bible says, “Love never fails” In other words we might say “Love never falls.”

·       That’s the sum and substance of it right there! If you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and you really love your neighbor as yourself, you won’t fall off the path!

 

The question is, do you really have that kind of love in your heart?

Do you really love Him? We can be self-deceived. It’s astounding to actually hear people in the church acknowledge publicly that there are people in the church family that they don’t love. Oh, really? What does that mean?

Well, brother, sister, if that’s your case, it means you’re not ready to go through the pearly gates yet. Jesus said, “Love your enemies.”  

 

 

 

#1….

.And that’s the first thing you need to do to stay on the path…..

You may not love what they do; you may have a personality clash with them, because you think differently. They may have some obnoxious things about their character that the Lord hasn’t yet corrected, but you’re not responsible for that.

 

There are churches splitting up all the time. People claim they can’t go to church with the other folks, and so they take up their bible and go to church 2 miles down the road instead. What’s the problem? When we go to heaven, there isn’t going to be any other church to attend! In heaven, there is only one church. And Jesus is the only ‘pastor, priest and bishop’ there. Are you ready for this?

 

It’s long overdue, friends, for us to pray for ourselves and say, “Lord, put Christ-like love in my heart for my enemies.”

 Don’t worry about your friends. Jesus said that even the wicked love their friends. (See Luke 6:32.) But His followers love their enemies. Because If we don’t love them, we are going to fall off the path, We’re going to burn in hell….

I can’t put it any simpler than that!

 

 

 

 

Love is something that we cannot generate.

 

A lot of people in this world have been married for a long time and never loved each other once. Never! Why?

Because they are both selfish, …….and love and selfishness are opposites. They both got married for what they could get out of it. That’s not love.

 

·       Similarly, there are a lot of people who go to church for what they can get out of it. They don’t love the church; they don’t love their brothers and sisters in the church. When the time comes and they can’t get out of it what they want or need, they leave. They have fallen off the path.

·

“Love never fails (falls).” When you pray in your daily devotions, are you asking God to put the love of Jesus in your heart? Because if you don’t have it, sooner or later something is going to happen and you’re going to fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2…

A big reason some people fall off the path is because they don’t have humility.

Jesus talked about the meek, the humble in Matthew 5 in the Beatitudes. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Verse 3.) The poor in spirit are people who recognize their spiritual poverty. The people who recognize that they’re all done, they’ll never make it, unless God works a miracle in their lives. Then Jesus said, in verse 5, “Blessed are the gentle [or the meek, or the humble because they shall inherit the earth. This, too, is one of the big reasons that people fall off the path.

The first reason is because we don’t have the love of God in our hearts, and the second reason is because we’re not humble. Everyone that’s proud will fall off the path at some point, unless they overcome their pride. You know, it’s up to you and me.

 

The Lord’s going to work things out so that we come to a testing point. Either we overcome our pride or we are going to hold on to it and fall off the path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#3,,,,,

,You know, pride is a very dangerous disease.

 Let’s read in Malachi 4:1 how dangerous it is: “Behold, the day is coming that will burn like a furnace and all the proud [that’s the arrogant people], and everyone who does wickedness will be like straw: and they will be set to blaze in that day that is coming, says Jehovah. And not will be left of them a root or branches.”

 

In all of this the dangerous thing about pride is that we can have it and not even know it. It doesn’t hurt. So the Lord’s going to bring us up to a point in the path where it’s going to be revealed to us that that’s one of our problems, and unless we overcome that, we’re going to fall off the path.

 

Since pride is something that cannot be seen, you can be a pastor, a physician, a lawyer, an elder in the church, or a deacon and be full of pride and nobody knows a thing about it. But the Lord’s going to bring you to a place where you’re going to see you have a problem.

 

 

 

 

So then how can I tell if I have pride? What are some of the symptoms?

·       Do you know Someone who can’t admit that they make a mistake. That’s Pride

·       Do you know Someone who always wants to be in control. That’s Pride

·       Do you know People who get things (cars, clothes, houses etc) not because they need it but because they want to make a statement (show off). That’s Pride

 

#4…

Matthew 4:4 reveals the fourth reason people fall off of the path. The setting of this verse is the devil and Jesus on the mount of temptation, and it says: In answering he said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.”

If you don’t want to fall off the path at some point, you need to make the decision that you’re going to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

 

You don’t have to apologize to anybody for deciding to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

 

 

 

#5…

 

Some people will not make it to heaven because if things are not going their way they not moving….nothing will go anywhere.

The Bible calls them “stiff-necked”

 (See Deuteronomy 9:13.)

 

Here’s what the Lord says: Isaiah 55:8, 9.

 “Because My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways, says Jehovah, because as high as the heaven is above the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

So if God has one idea, one thought, and I have a different one, who should change their mind?

 

#6…

Then some people fall off the path is because they allow their feelings to get hurt. 

 

Let me tell you something. I’m sorry but this is going to be candid. If you cannot endure being rebuked, you will not make it…..you will fall off the path at some point. You will.

 People will say, “Yes, I acknowledge the rebuke was alright, but the way they did it was wrong. You better watch out!

 

If you need to be rebuked then forget about whether the way it was done was right or wrong, or who it was. If you need it, you better take it, and ask the Lord to help you to improve and reform. Otherwise, you’ll fall off the path.

Sometimes God sends somebody to rebuke someone else that is younger, that has less education, less money, or may be inferior in every other way. But the Lord sends that person with a rebuke. If you need it, watch out. If you allow your feelings to be hurt, you won’t make it; you’ll fall off the path and risk being lost …….What testing point are you at today? Some people say that the church they’re attending is the problem, so they leave the church. When I hear that, I wonder what’s happening in that church.

Usually the reason is because people have their feelings hurt by what somebody said or did in the church, or they have a problem with the leaders, a problem with the pastor, the elder, or somebody. Watch out!!!. That’s a way to fall off the path.

Even if that person is making mistakes, what if the Lord’s getting them ready to go to heaven? Do you want to go with them, or do you not want to go? If you want to go to heaven and if the Lord’s getting them ready to go to heaven, where are you going to learn to get along with that person? Down here or up there?

 

 If we cannot get along down here, we couldn’t get along up there, and the people who are going to go up there are going to learn to get along down here.

That’s the sixth reason:

 

Quite Frankly, friends, that is one of the main reasons that the church was established. Because you and I have to learn to get along with each other since we think differently, have different character defects. We have to learn to love each other and get along before we go to heaven. It’s just that simple.

 

Oh, friend, we have a lot of praying to do, because we have a lot of people that cannot get along. And when we have a lot of people who cannot get along, one of two things is going to happen. Either we’re going to pray, and we’re going to learn how to get along, or some of us aren’t going up to heaven when Jesus comes.

We’ll just stay right here, because Jesus isn’t going to take turbulent spirits up there.

I’m sorry if it sounds hard, but these things are practical. It has to do with falling off the path. Do you realize that people can fall off the path, and they don’t even know they’ve done it? They just decided they wouldn’t go to church here any more. They’ve fallen off the path. Unless they get back on the path, they’re lost.

 

That’s the way it is when somebody quits attending church and the reason is because they didn’t get their own way; they’re upset with somebody. It’s not because of open sin or heresy. They’ve fallen off the path. Unless they come back and get on the path, what’s going to happen? I’m not the judge; God’s the judge, but you can read the sacred history.

 

#7….

Here’s the last reason you can fall of the path:

 

The Pharisees had this problem; you can read about it in Luke 18. They could see the faults in others, but they couldn’t see the faults in themselves. That’s a universal human problem until the Holy Spirit puts the eye salve on, and then, all of a sudden, you’re so overwhelmed with your own wretchedness and sinfulness you don’t even worry about other people any more.

 

You just say, Lord be merciful to me a sinner. Change my own wretched heart; work a work of salvation in me.

 

 And when we all get the eye salve on and see how filthy we are and how much cleansing we need and we start praying about our case, something’s going to happen in the church.

Are you going to do it? Are you going to say, Lord, give me the eye salve, help me to see what’s the matter with me that needs to be changed?

 

Because if you go rebuking everybody else in the church for their faults, and they go to the Lord and pray about them, and the Lord helps them to overcome their faults and they all go to heaven because you rebuked them, but that won’t help you because you still have not overcome your own faults.

 

 

Conclusion

You’ve got to overcome your own. I have to overcome my own. If we overcome, we’ve accepted the counsel of the True Witness. Then we’ll receive the latter rain and be fitted for translation.

Do you want that experience? I want that experience. Have you ever said to the Lord, Lord whatever it takes, help me to stay in the path until the end of the line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rev: 21 :1-4

 

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Re:21:2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Re:21:3: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Re:21:4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

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