DON'T THINK THAT

GOD IS ANGRY AT YOU!

By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

This message was born in my heart after I received a telephone call from a young lady in Norway. She was very upset because she felt God was "mad at her"!

She was a young married woman in her early twenties, with a good job, but was very unhappy. Her involvement in an automobile accident had left her with a back injury, and her nerves were frayed!

The young lady felt that the accident was God's revenge on her, because as a teenager she had "drifted from Him"! Several things happened which made her believe that He was "angry at her" and had "washed His hands of her."

In her loneliness, depression and constant pain, she became suicidal! In that condition, she attended our gospel crusade and heard me preach God's Word!

She was completely delivered - physically, spiritually and psychologically! Her miracle recovery still holds true today, 25 years later!

                            GOD IS LOVING, MERCIFUL & GRACIOUS!

Many people believe God is angry at them...that 'He has their number' and is waiting to bring them to justice! They see God as a stern old man who has been roused from his afternoon nap by noisy young people.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God is kind, merciful and fair! And He is available 24 hours a day!

John 3:16 is the central verse of the New Testament and inspiration for fundamental spiritual change. Martin Luther called it the "Bible in Miniature"!

Jerome Harper is an anointed gospel singer and preacher. Some years ago I was a speaker during a convention of Full Gospel Churches in Dauphin River, Manitoba. Jerome stirred my soul with a song written by James Payne. The song is called 'John 3:16' and is James Payne's personal testimony. Here are the lyrics:

                                               John 3:16

"I remember the night, at the end of my rope,
In a motel in Nashville, searching for hope...
In my hand a Bible, I had read as a child,
On the table was a bottle, that was driving me wild!

Well, I poured the whiskey into the glass,
and prayed it would help me forget my past.
Then I read how Jesus died on the tree,
I poured out the whiskey, and fell down on my knees.

That night old Jack Daniels met John 3:16,
God's word broke the hold that he had over me.
I traded Tennessee whiskey for Calvary's tree
That night old Jack Daniels met John 3:16.

Now, when I see those old friends that I used to know,
Down at the old place where I used to go,
They tell me I'm different than I used to be,
And I love to tell them what happened to me."

Even though James Payne had a history of alcoholism, drug abuse and wild living, God reached down to him in mercy and forgiveness.  And by faith he received the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ!  Since that time he has written more than 2,000 songs and was recently featured on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (T.B.N.), which is seen around the world!

Jerome Harper has a similar testimony.  After he had wasted many years in heavy drinking and debauchery, the Lord Jesus Christ gladly received him, when he called upon His Name!

                       ANOTHER ALCOHOLIC IS MADE FREE!

The same could be said about Randy Huisman of Telkwa, BC.  Although Randy was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, he did not experience the redeeming power of the 'Gospel of Christ'.  

At an early age he left the church and went deeper and deeper into a life of drunkenness.  His wake-up call came at the age of 34 when his doctor said, "Randy, you have sclerosis of the liver.  If you continue drinking you will be dead within 4 to 6 months."

Not wanting to quit drinking and to prove the doctor wrong, Randy drank even more excessively.  Eight months later, he was still alive but very sick, with dry heaves and vomiting!

Standing at the well, he thought of committing suicide to end it all, but remembered the terrible time a neighbor girl went through when her father killed himself.  He also remembered God's word, about murderers going to Hell.

He knelt by the old well and prayed, "Lord, if you are real, show me the way and let me know that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses away all my sins."  Randy declares: "At that moment (Dec 26, 1984) a glimmer of hope came into my heart and I haven't had a drink since!"

A couple of months later, Ted Huntington went over to fix Randy's pump and invited him to attend a Spirit-filled Men's Advance.  He was filled with the Holy Spirit and is full of God's great compassion, love and power, to win lost souls for Christ!

Years later, I was invited to share my testimony at a Full Gospel Business Men's meeting in Smithers, B.C.  During the altar service, Randy's brother Theo answered the alter call and wept his way into the kingdom of God!

  JESUS CAME TO EARTH TO SAVE SINNERS! 

Jesus Christ came into the world to save us – Not to condemn us! The Bible says, “God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

A number of years ago, Thomas Allen was hopelessly lost in a life of alcohol, gambling, the occult and broken dreams.  At 25 years of age he had graduated from being a juvenile delinquent kicked out of school and home, to prison with a broken marriage and shattered hopes!

He was hooked by sin and degradation.  At the end of his rope, he heard the voice of God call his name.  On two occasions the voice said, "Go to church."  The third time, God spoke with a firm command: "Tom, go to church!"

He picked up the Winnipeg City Directory and dropped it on the floor, not knowing where to look.  Miraculously it opened at the W's and 'Waves of Glory' jumped out at him.  He began to attend church but was still bound by horrible nightmares, which haunted him from the past!

A year later, I preached in Winnipeg.  Tom came forward for prayer.  As I began to pray, the evil spirits threw him off the platform.  He foamed at the mouth and screamed horribly as we exorcised the demons from him in Jesus' Name!

Since that time, there hasn’t been any more nightmares or epilepsy.  His testimony is that God has given him a new life with peace and joy!  And he began studying under Pastor Edwin Wiebe.  His heart’s desire is to become a minister of the gospel!

            HE’S THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE!

Some people believe God is portrayed as wrathful and uncaring in the Old Testament and loving and kind in the New Testament, but that isn’t true!

The mercy of God is seen in His dealings with mankind from the beginning.  He gave Adam and Eve a second chance, when He drove them out of the Garden of Eden after their rebellion, so that they would not eat of the ‘Tree of Life’ and live forever in their sins.  He killed an innocent animal as an atonement.  Its skin covered their naked bodies and the blood covered their sins!

Then God instituted the sacrificial system, which pointed to Jesus the Messiah, Who fulfilled the type and died on the cross for the sins of the whole world, as the lambs had died on the alters of Jerusalem to atone for the sins of Israel!

God's justice can also be seen in His dealings with Satan, who was once a trusted archangel called Lucifer.  God could have destroyed Satan, but let him remain free until the final judgment, when he will be cast into the Lake of Fire! (Rev. 20: 10)

God loves us all and allows the sun to shine and rain to fall on the just and the unjust.  His laws of gravity, seed time and harvest, life, death and salvation apply to everyone.  The words of prophet Isaiah are relevant today:

"Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord.  Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.  Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

The love of God is constantly being revealed to us!  Each new baby that is born is a miracle of co-creation with the Creator.  And what a gift that newborn baby is to its parents, siblings, grandparents and close friends!

In the various stages of life, development and maturing - from youth to adulthood and on to the golden years of retirement - God's blessings are new and exciting every day as we walk with the Lord!

Answered prayer, peace that passes all understanding, 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' is only a small part of the "pay-back" we receive from our fellowship with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord!

                  JESUS APPEARED TO SUNDAR SINGH!

 Sadhu Sundar Singh was known across India as 'The Apostle with the Bleeding Feet' because he chose to go barefoot, in appreciation of the horrible sufferings Jesus endured for him.  Sundar Singh - sadhu means holy man - travelled the length and breadth of India as a preacher of righteousness for many years!

Every year he would climb the rugged mountain ranges to the forbidden land of Tibet.  The jagged rocks often cut his feet, leaving little trickles of blood in his footprints.  Upon arriving in that dark foreboding land, he would regularly receive hostile and violent treatment from the hands of the Buddhist authorities, because of his preaching!

Sundar Singh was born into a pagan religion but had lost faith in all religions, so when a Christian missionary gave him a Bible, he threw it into the fire.

After this act of defiance, however, he was unable to sleep.  He felt guilty as well as frustrated over his life.  Feeling hopelessly lost, with nothing to live for, he decided to end it all!

He would take his own life the very next morning, by lying down on the railroad track in front of the fast moving express train!

His plans were foiled, however, by the appearance of Jesus Christ in the middle of the night.  A bright light filled the room and the 'glorified Saviour of the world' stood before him with His nail-pierced hands outstretched in welcome.

Instead of being rebuked and judged for burning His Holy Book - as the young man expected - Jesus simply looked at him in love and compassion, and he melted at His feet.  All superstition, fear, unbelief, hatred and torments vanished in a moment of time and Sundar Singh gave his entire life to Jesus Christ. 

The story is told of how Sundar Singh was persecuted on numerous occasions by the Buddhists as he penetrated the "forbidden land of Tibet" again and again!

On one occasion he was condemned to death for preaching the gospel there.  He was lowered into a dry 60 foot well and left to die of hunger and thirst sitting among the filth of human skulls and bones, rats, snakes and scorpions.

The noise of the heavy cement cover being placed on the well's top, cutting off the beam of light signaled 'the end'!  Sitting there in terrible pain from the severe beatings he had received from the hands of his captors, Sundar Singh prayed: "O Lord get me out of here.  Do not allow me to die here.  Let me preach the gospel one more time."

Very early in the morning, a shaft of light appeared showing a rope being lowered towards him. He tied the rope to his midsection.  Strong arms rapidly pulled him upwards.  He stood to his feet and when he turned o say "thank you" to his liberator, there was no one there!

                  THE HAND OF GOD BROUGHT HIM OUT!

Overjoyed he prayed, "What shall I do?"  The Holy Spirit whispered, "Go and stand in front of the pagoda and preach the Gospel!"

The Buddhist monks and authorities were so amazed at his rescue and because his "death sentence" had been executed - no one had ever escaped before - they could not try him again.  Of course, he was beaten and chased away repeatedly, but he kept returning to present the claims of Christ to the pagan.

One day, his footprints (with the trickel of blood) came to an abrupt halt on the mountainous terrain on the way to Tibet.  The 'Apostle with the bleeding feet' had undoubtedly slipped and fallen and his frozen body is waiting for the "great getting-up-morning" when Christ shall come to rapture His Church!  Hallelujah!

St. John writes: "If the princes of this world would have known who Jesus is, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." (1 Corinthians 2:8)

How sad, that all too few leaders of nations, corporations, educational, medical and financial institutions do not really know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.  And even clergymen, who should know better do not worship Him as God!

          GOD PERFORMS STAGGERING MIRACLES!

In 1980, five year old Julio Diaz was brought by his mother to our crusade in Santa Fe, Argentina.  He was born without urethras.  He was also afflicted with a number of other abnormalities.

He had suffered through 6 operations and spent 3 years in the Children's Hospital there.  Because Julio was being used as a "guinea pig", nurses attending him spoke confidentially to his parents warning against another exploratory surgical operation.

There were thousands of people in the stadium that cold, blustery evening when my faith touched God for Julio!  And God performed a miracle for us! As the huge throng was led in the healing prayer, Julio's mother believed. 

The next morning his parents awakened to find the plastic tubes pushed out of his sides and their little boy urinating on the floor.  They rushed him to the hospital; the x-rays showed 2 urethras!  God had done His wonderful work and created 2 urethras for Julio.

His parents called Omar & Marfa Cabrera with the good news.  They informed me that the media wanted to interview us regarding this great miracle!  The miracle was so great the the Roman Catholic Radio Station - as well as their weekly magazine - reported the news nation-wide, and the gospel of Christ was heard far and near across Argentina!

God's mercy came to the Diaz family in such a beautiful way and He loves us all just as much as He does them!!

                    SPINAL BIFIDA HEALED BY JESUS!

In 1981 Larry & Donna Pascal of Pikangikum, Ontario had taken their 8 month old baby Savillia for extensive tests in a hospital at Sioux Lookout.  She was diagnosed with Spinal Bifida.  The specialists told her parents that Savillia would never walk and as she grew older, she would need a wheelchair!

Naturally, Larry & Donna were down-hearted but believed in their hearts that God would do a miracle.  A short time later I flew to the isolated village of Pikangikum for a gospel meeting. 

They brought little Savillia to me and I prayed in Jesus' Name for a miracle. Several days later the large opening (hole) in her lower spine began to fill in and she was miraculously healed.  Today she is a happy, healthy teenager who can run, skip and jump like anyone else!  And she is a talented gospel singer as well.

                      GOD'S MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER!

By His grace a little baby doomed to be a cripple all her life is perfectly well today, radiating God's grave and love!  No wonder the prophet wrote: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

                                GOD HEALED A DEAF & MUTE BABY!

Some time ago, while preaching in Meadow Lake, SK, Doris Goulet from LaRonge stood up to testify.  I had not seen her for years.

She told about her daughter Angel Mahoney, whom she and her husband Phillip had brought to our crusade in Prince Albert in 1974.  Neither Doris nor Phillip were born again Christians at the time but their friend Louisa - who was a Christian - had told them of our crusade.

Phillip brought little Angel (less than 1 year old) for prayer.  This was their last hope - as there was nothing medical science could do for her.  Angel was totally deaf and mute.  She also had severe ear infections and was allergic to milk and wheat.

As I was praying for the hundreds who came for a miracle, Phillip had to wait quite awhile in the prayer line.  Doris declares that when I came to Phillip and Angel, I did not ask what their need was.  I simply snapped my fingers behind her back in Jesus' Name!

Angel was instantly healed and turned her head abruptly toward me!  From that moment, she could hear perfectly and began to speak.  With the help of some speech therapy, Angel speaks perfectly today!  All her allergies and infections left instantly and she is well today.  Praise God!

For more than 55 years I have traveled the world bringing salvation and healing to hurting people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What a blessing to serve such a wonderful Saviour!

              OWNER OF CLUB 7 WAS PUSHING DRUGS !

Hundreds of people were attending the services and God was saving and healing the people, but I was concerned about the loud music coming from an auditorium below us!

I asked someone what was going on and that is when I learned of Club 7 and Jerry Eppinga, the man who ran the club.

Jerry had a tainted reputation and was banned from every bar and drinking places in Prince Rupert because he was an alcoholic and it was rumored that he peddled dope to the patrons who frequented the bars.

Immediately I saw the problem as an opportunity for God to show His great Power.  “Let' close that Hell-Hole down” I declared! The next evening Jerry came up to the service, was deeply convicted and answered the altar call to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.

During the altar service, I asked everyone to repeat the sinner's prayer and renounce the devil publicly in Jesus' Name.  When the prayer and confession of faith was made, Satan threw Jerry Eppinga into the air and he screamed at the top of his lungs as the demons came out of him!

Since that time, Jerry closed down the nightclub- the next day - got married (he had been living common-law), was restored back to health, prospered in business, went to Bible College and spent several years as a missionary to the Heida Indians in the Queen Charlotte Islands!  Today, his ministry is centered in British Columbia's lower mainland and reaches even into his native Holland.

God forgave him, healed him and filled him with the Blessed Holy Spirit.  God was not angry with him but "showed Himself alive" toward him as a loving Heavenly Father full of compassion and mercy!

                       WHAT A GREAT GOD WE SERVE!

God is not angry at us.  He loves us so greatly that nothing will stand in His way to help us all in our special need!  Praise the Lord! It still thrills my soul and warms my heart to be able to help people who are struggling with lusts, fears, torments, bitterness, pain, disease and grief.

St. James answers the age-old question about the "whys and wherefores" of WAR and its aftermath: "From whence come wars and fighting among you?  Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James 4:1)

It's not fair to blame God for the wars, storms, natural disasters or diseases that plague mankind.  People foolishly blame God for famines, poverty, earthquakes, killings, disease and almost everything else. 

Most of our problems are self-inflicted because of greed, hatred, lust and disobedience. People lie, steal, rape, murder, cheat and then wonder why God's blessings have lifted off their lives.

In my opinion, it should be clear to anyone that when a nation forsakes God and decides to "go it on their own", they will get in trouble.  To compound the situation, how can we expect God to bless nations and individuals who have not only forsaken Him "the fountain of living water and hewed themselves out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water" but who turn to the pagan gods of the New Age Movement, Eastern (Hindu) Mysticism and blatant Spiritism, Occultism and Satanism?

            GOD IS AGAINST DEMON SPIRITS!

God's wrath is against the evil spirits and demons involved in witchcraft and idolatry! Dear friend, unless such individuals and nations REPENT of those most evil, obnoxious and wicked sins, they can expect nothing but the fruit of their unrighteousness!

St.  Paul declared, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." (Romans 8:6-9)

When we get rid of the sin in our lives, by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ's finished work on Golgotha, our problems disappear.  And His peace floods our souls! And remember my dear friend; God is not angry at you.  Amen.