by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
We are locked in with God, whether we like it or not. He is the Creator ot the world and all that is in it. He is over all and in us all. He is the giver of Life and He only is the True God .
There is Salvation in none other! His love was so great that He gave His only begotten Son to purchase our freedom from Sin and the power of Satan. When Jesus Christ, true God from eternity and true man through His virgin Birth, suffered, bled and died as our substitute, and arose from the dead our Salvation was complete. Satan was conquored for time and etenity!
When Jesus Christ arose from the dead on the third day, having purchased our eternal salvation, all heaven and earth rejoiced with great JOY, and Satan was totally defeated and consigned to the Lake of Fire forever!
Although the Lord is a God of variety who exercises great compassion, mercy, and patience, He is also very strict and orderly and works according to a divine pattern and design.
Let me explain; the Scripture tells us that God is love, (1 John 4:8) and yet the
same Bible tells us that He is also a
consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29) Again the Bible speaks of God as a
lawgiver, (Isaiah 32:22) who demands divine justice, and yet declares the
beautiful fact that Jesus Christ brought
grace into this world. (John 1:17)
The Word of God says that there are given to us great and precious promises that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4) and yet the same Word of God that saves us and gives to us eternal life (John 10:28) will be opened at the judgment and will condemn those who reject the Gospel of Christ. (Revelation 20:12)
God has certain laws by which He operates and
governs in the universe, as well as in heaven and upon earth. There are certain laws by which he saves or condemns.
THE LAWS OF GOD STILL EXIST
The
same is true in the realm of physical
healing. To His people He said, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the
voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt
give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon
the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26)
God’s
law states that if His people would serve and obey Him, He would heal and bless them. If they would rebel against His word
and break their covenant with Him, then His
blessing and healing would depart and the curses which were reserved for the
enemies of God would cleave unto them.
When
there is a vacuum created by God’s absence in a life, the Devil makes sure that he fills that vacuum and places his curse upon them. When
God’s protection is lifted off a life, there is an open door for torment, death,
and destruction to enter.
The
Bible says, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry
places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return to my
house from whence I came out; and when he is come he findeth it empty, swept,
and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits
more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the first
state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this
wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43 – 45)
THE GOODNESS OF GOD TRULY AMAZES ME
How
many times God has sustained us, protected us and stopped the devil from
harming us I will never know, but I do know that; “The angel of the Lord
encampeth roundabout them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Psalms
34:7) “When the enemy shall come in
like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”
(Isaiah 59:19)
Even
though hell is a literal burning place of torment, I believe the worst thing
about it will be the ABSENCE OF GOD and the knowledge that
these people will never feel His sweet presence again.
Sickness and disease came into the world because of
sin and death followed as a result of sin. There was no sin, sickness, disease
or death before the fall and there won’t be any after Satan is bound for 1,000
years during the millennium. (Revelation 20:2) Praise
God! The promise of God for His
repentant, believing children as touching forgiveness and healing are numerous.
The WORD of God states: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved;” (Acts 2:21) “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;” (Matthew 11:28) “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;” (Mark 16:16)
“Ask, and it shall be
given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For
everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened;” (Matthew 7:7, 8)
JESUS CALLS SINNERS TO HIMSELF!
“Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the
Father is in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
“Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he
do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:11 – 14)
“Is
any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer
of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
(James 5:14, 15)
WHATSOEVER SORE OR WHATSOEVER SICKNESS
I
have shared with you mostly New Testament scriptures, now let me share with you
this beautiful verse from the Old
Testament taken from Solomon’s prayer during the dedication. “If there be dearth in the land, if
there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillars, if their enemies
besiege them in the cities of their land;
“Then
what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy
people Israel, when everyone shall know his own sore and his own grief, and
shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven they
dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his
ways, whose heart though knowest;
(for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men)” (2 Chronicles 6:28 –
30)
Does
God Really Care? God’s laws work in every
area of our lives. Those who believe
in the name of Jesus, repenting of their sins and confess Him as Lord are saved. Those who hunger and thirst
after righteousness are filled.
(Matthew 5:6) The baptism of the Holy Ghost comes to those who obey God and desire more of Him. (Acts 5:32)
Physical healing is much a part of our inheritance (last
will and testimony of Jesus Christ) and as much a part of the atonement as the
forgiveness of sins. “For he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: (healing
for our spirits) the chastisement of our peace was upon him; (healing for our minds or souls)
and with his stripes we are healed.” (healing
for our bodies) (Isaiah 53:5)
GOD PROSPERS HIS PEOPLE!
“Beloved, I wish above all things…”
John was writing by the Holy Spirit. John’s
will here was God’s will… “that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.” (3 John 2) John, wanted many good things for his flock. (God wants us to receive many good
things too)
The three most important things however were;
number one – That they would prosper,
number two – be in health, number
three – that their souls would
prosper. The first and second blessings were contingent upon the third,
“even as thy soul prospereth.”
According to the spiritual blessing we receive from
Christ, will determine how much physical, mental, and material blessing we will
receive from Him. You may say, “I know of godly people
who are sick and poor.” Godly people
are not always rich in faith. Many
people who lead good lives and trust Christ as Saviour MAY HAVE NOT trusted Him as Healer for their bodies or
Baptizer in the Holy Ghost or Provider for their needs.
You may ask why?
- Because they
do not know the scriptures.
- Because they
do not believe that God is interested in their little problems,
e.g. cancer, arthritis, poverty. (May God have mercy upon pastors who do
not bring the truth of divine healing and God’s blessing to the people.
Please read Ezekiel 34:2-5)
- They underestimate
God’s power. “Ye do err, not
knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)
- They do not
appropriate the promises for themselves.
It is always for those in Bible times or during the coming millennium but
not for today. They have the faith
of Martha. “Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in
the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24) Jesus said however, “I am the resurrection, and the life;” Today!
(John 11:25)
- They believe
God chastises His children with foul cancer, evil spirits of insanity and
crippling arthritis. They further believe
that they are receiving a great blessing from their sickness when the Bible calls disease a plague,
(Mark 5:34) and a curse. (Deuteronomy
28).
God is a million times better than we are and yet we would never
put a curse or disease on any of our children to make them better, chastise
them or bring glory to ourselves.
The preachers who preach this damnable heresy are
blaspheming God and are charging Him with working with the devil and doing the
work of evil spirits, the same as the Pharisees accused Jesus. (Mark
3:30)
- They believe
that they are suffering for God’s glory,
yet they run to doctors, clinics,
and hospitals constantly. They have surgery and swallow innumerous pills to get rid of the blessing and deprive God of His glory, but they
have no faith for healing through prayer.
- They
are poverty stricken
because they feel that God’s people should be poor and humble and yet they accept welfare payments
from the government but will not work. There are three ways to get rid of
poverty.
(a) Get a
job. (b) Begin to give to God’s work. (c) Believe that God will prosper you
according to His word when you give in faith.
Three things God wants for His people more than anything else. (3 John 2) Number one, spiritual prosperity – repentance, faith, love and joy, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit and a burden for souls with fasting and prayer.
Number two, as we prosper spiritually, we will also be in
health as we accept the Word of God regarding divine healing. Number three, then as we work hard, give to
God’s work in faith believing, we will
prosper financially and materially. Praise God.
The Bible states, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9, 10);
“And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless
thy bread, and thy water; and I will
take sickness away from the midst of thee.” (Exodus 23:25) Jesus said, “But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew
6:33)
St.
Paul wrote, “But my God shall supply all
your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians
4:19). God’s Law of Sowing and Reaping, of Planting and Harvesting, and of
Caring and Sharing Is Still Valid and Works Today.
Jesus
said, “Give, and it shall be given unto
you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall
men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it
shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
Elijah said to the window woman, “but make me thereof a little cake first;” (I Kings 17:13) When she gave to God’s servant out of her need, God’s blessing came upon her unto life. (I Kings 17:15, 16)
“Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of
God; Give FIRST
and it shall be given unto you; Honour the Lord with
your substance and the FIRST FRUITS
of all thine increase.”
Recently
we coined the phrase that speaks of this ministry,
WE SHARE BECAUSE WE CARE. Caring means sharing. We
as Christians do not really care unless we are willing to share with others.
Let us share the Gospel of Christ with the heathen of this world so that they
may learn of Jesus, believe on His name and live.
MY PERONAL TESTIMONY
In 1958, I was given a wonderful vision by the Lord! It was shortly after we had purchased our own first new car (before, I used company cars), and I had obtained a very good job earning several thousands of dollars a year more than I had been earning previously.
My wife had just
been converted to Christ and I was so happy for what God had done for me – as I
lay in bed thinking about the goodness of God (Donna was asleep) suddenly I saw a vision. (If I was asleep or not, I do not
know)
I
saw a large silver tray with
a very large bowl sitting in the middle of it. Then, as I continued watching I
saw a clear, pure liquid resembling water, being poured into the bowl from up
above and entering the bowl from every angle. I watched as the bowl filled up
and I wondered if it would stop, but it kept coming – over-flowing the bowl and
filling the platter – I wondered “Would it stop then?” but as I looked, I
noticed it kept on coming and overflowed the platter.
I heard a voice say,
“Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together,
and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” I knew it was the voice of God and immediately I was wide awake – I
knew God had spoken to me and that He was with me and that I would
prosper. Ever since God has blessed me!
When I was a commercial traveler, God helped
me to always be one of the top salesmen and many times in the lead. When I left
my well-paying lucrative position, I still had the blessing of God. The Lord
has helped me, led me and guided me, so that tens of thousands of souls have
been brought to Christ through our ministry, and great numbers have received
miracles of healing and deliverance through our prayers.
Our ministry is now
reaching many parts of the world and gaining strength, impact and prominence
among many people as the years come and go. Our belief is that God has called
me supernaturally by His Spirit and has a specific job for me to do which will
yet take us into many more parts of the world.
SEVEN REASONS WHY GOD WANTS TO BLESS US
1. Because of His great love
for mankind and especially for His children.
(Matthew 15:26; 3 John 2)
2. Because of His word which
He will fulfill and His promises which He is duty bound to keep. (Luke
6:38)
3. Because of a definite
law, both spiritual and physical which states, “you will reap what you sow, and
the harvest will be greater than the seed planted.” (Genesis
8:22; Galatians 6:7, 8)
4. Because we are His
children and therefore, we are His responsibility. He wants us to have the best
and since we are His advertising agents, I am sure that He wants to show the
world that His gospel can accomplish and do in the lives of men. We are proof
that the benefits of Calvary really work.
I am equally sure that He would not want to show off
to the world an ignorant, weak, foolish, unsuccessful, fearful, discouraged,
sick, sinful, mentally ill and poverty ridden people. He certainly has the
power to bless His people to the extent that we can represent Him properly.
(Malachi 3:17; Philippians 4:19)
5. Because of the testimony
of the Scriptures in the lives of men of God in times past.
a.
Abraham: “And I will make thy seed as the dust
od the earth: so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then shall
thy seed also be numbered.” (Genesis
13:16)
b.
Job: “So the Lord blessed the latter end
of Job more than his beginning ---So Job died being old and full of days.” (Job
42:12-17)
c. Solomon: “That
the Lord appeared unto Solomon…I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that
thou hast made before Me, I have hallowed this house…” (I Kings 9:3-5)
d. Daniel: “…
That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel…He
delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in
earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions….so this Daniel prospered…”
(Daniel 3:1 to 30: 6:1 to 28;)
6. Because
God has never changed, and we have proven His word to be true again and again
when we give in faith. In my own life I have proven God honours our faith,
answers our prayers, and fulfills His word. Thousands of people have proven the
same thing too!
7. Because
our Heavenly Father has promised to honour those who love and serve His Son
Jesus Christ.
“If
any man serve Me let him follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be:
If any man serve Me, him will My
Father honour.” (John 12:26) Amen.
Because God wants His people to prosper so that they can use their money to help the poor and reach the lost with the glorious gospel of Christ before it is too late. Please note “the scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35)
Whatever Jesus
said will come to pass. The laws of God are absolute and what you sow you will
reap. When you give to God, there will be a return far greater than what you
give. God is not a respector of persons and God is no man’s debtor.
In
closing let me give you this scripture, “No
good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalms 84:11)
And again, “But this I say, He which
soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully
shall reap also bountifully… for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (II
Corinthians 9:6, 7) Amen.
Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Garside, Edmonton, AB
T5V 1N6; Email: [email protected];
comehometojesus.ca; YouTube; Facebook. Donations can be made by e-transfer.
Make donations to [email protected]. God bless you!
