A Lesson in Humility

 PRIDE COMETH BEFORE THE FALL

by:  Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

Ed Murrow, famous American commentator said, "Keep your perspective! Remember that just because your voice reached halfway around the world, you are no wiser than when it reached only to the end of the living room." 

 The technology that sends a broadcaster’s voice thousands of miles across the globe is not that person’s invention. Certainly, your ability to communicate got you in the position to release your talent but it took a lot of other people's technical ability, and other people's capital to assemble the equipment that would transmit your voice.

No one is self-sufficient and "no man is an island". We all have something to contribute!

A HAUGHTY SPIRIT GOES BEFORE DESTRUCTION.

Pride has a subtle way of seeking to enter a person, especially after an initial success. It is noticeable in many first and second year university students. In their third and fourth years they calm down and realize how much there is yet to learn.

And many young people at age 21, are suddenly amazed at how much Mom and Dad have learned during the past 5 or 6 years. The real truth is found in an old German proverb, "We get old too soon and smart too late".

The Bible says, "Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction". (Prov. 16:18. How true that is! Pride causes overconfidence which triggers the downfall.

During the Beatles' heyday, John Lennon stated that they were more popular than Jesus Christ. And according to Abery Goldman's book 'The Lives of John Lennon', the freaky John Lennon, while "tripping out on acid" together with his close friend Pete Shotton said, "I think I'm Jesus Christ".

The next afternoon, "the inner circle of the Beatles' organization - Paul, George, Ringo and other Apple executives - met with John and Pete in Lennon's office. All arrived in a mood of keen expectation wondering what could have inspired the normally passive Lennon to sound the alarm. John rose from behind his desk and addressed his colleagues.

"I've got something very important to tell you all", he began. "I am Jesus Christ come back again. This is my thing." He demanded that "Apple prepare a press release immediately announcing His return."

SATAN IS REALLY BUSY THESE DAYS. HE HAS HIS ‘DONKEYS’ CARRYING HIS FILTH AND GARBAGE TO THE YOUTH OF OUR GENERATION.

Marilyn Manson the weird, satanist pervert made waves across North America with his Shock Rock concerts. This self-proclaimed Satan worshipper often ripped up the Bible, denounced God and Christianity and appears on stage as an awkward mix between a scantily dressed drag queen and a living corpse.

But here’s the irony of the whole farce - He’s as proud as a strutting peacock! Please note: You don’t need to be beautiful, talented, intelligent or rich to be proud! I’ve met some of the ugliest, ignorant, clueless and poorest of people who were proud.

PRIDE,  I REPEAT,  IS THE SIN OF SATAN!

And the worst manifestation of pride is a person’s refusal to humble himself and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Commenting on his philosophy of life, Marilyn Manson, who chose his name from Marilyn Monroe - Hollywood sex symbol who committed suicide - and Charles Manson - the brutal, insane serial killer - said, “Man is God”.

The Bible says, “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God”. (Ps. 14:1) In the literal Hebrew, King David was inferring that only a fool, imbecile or insane person would say that there is no God.

And only a bigger fool would say that weak, puny, temporary (here today gone tomorrow) and dying humanity is God - omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present and eternal! What a grand fool Marilyn Manson was! He takes top honor for fools.

And here’s another nut case! According to Newsweek (July 21, 1997) Noel Gallager commenting on the influence of his band, ‘Oasis’ said, “We’re more popular than Jesus Christ now...Some of the pop stars I like are more important than God...I  hope we mean more to people than putting money in a church basket and saying 10 Hail Marys on a Sunday”.

WHAT FOLLY AND FOOL HEADED PRIDE!

Soon after Lennon’s blasphemous statement, the Beatles disbanded and sometime later Lennon was dead, at the hands of a former admirer. And a study of his life shows a streak of madness, including many days he and Yoko Ono stayed in bed in a "love-in for world peace" and appeared with Allan Rock, Canada's former Justice Minister - at a university in Toronto, clad only in his pajamas.

And get a load of this garbage - he and other members of the Beatles sat at the feet of the weird occultic Maharishi who is the proponent of Yogi - leap frogging (flying) for world peace and other deceptive Eastern Hindu occultic practices! WHAT LIES, DECEPTION AND PRIDE!

It would be wise for us all to listen to the words of Ed Murrow, which is in fact a call to humility. St. Paul stated, "Let no one think of himself more highly than he ought". (Romans 12:3)

A STUDY OF HISTORY REVEALS THAT PRIDE DOES PRECEDE A RUINOUS FALL

A good example is Adolph Hitler, who constantly raved about conquering Great Britain, envisioning a 1000 year Nazi dynasty. Where did he end up? Dead by his own hand in a bunker in a ruined Germany. 

His name will forever be synonymous with sadistic, demonic brutality, and insane lust for power!

What of Napoleon Bonaparte, the proud Emperor of France who crushed every foe under his feet?  When he entered Milan, Italy, Napoleon summoned the archbishop of the church and demanded, "Prove to me that there is a God and the Bible is the Word of God".

NO GOD, NO JEW!

The archbishop never uttered a word but simply pointed to Napoleon’s leading soldier, General Mesina, a Jew. Proud as he was, the Emperor recognized the truth of what the archbishop had revealed, shouted a command, turned his horse around and together with his troops gallopped away, without firing a shot!

If there is no God there would no be Jew, for Abraham was 100 years of age and Sarah 90 (who was barren) when Isaac was born!  Where did Napoleon end up? In exile and disgrace on the island of St. Helena! Before he was poisoned, however, he confessed his faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, to his trusted friend General Bertrand.

Voltaire, the atheist, almost destroyed France with his twisted philosophies.  He was going to rid that nation of every Bible and dethrone God. He boasted that within 100 years there wouldn't be one Bible left in France, except in some dusty old museum.

BEFORE HIS DEATH, VOLTAIRE BECAME DEMENTED AND THE NURSE ATTENDING HIM DECLARED THAT FOR ALL THE MONEY IN FRANCE SHE WOULD NEVER AGAIN NURSE ANOTHER DYING INFIDEL.

When the doctor, nurse or friends entered his room he would shrink back in his bed and shriek, "the Nazarene, the Nazarene"! Just before his death Voltaire screamed, "Thou hast conquered, Thou Nazarene".

Ironically, the very house in which Voltaire lived was purchased 100 years later, and turned into a Bible Publishing House.

Soviet communists had long scoffed at God, the Bible and the West, but it was the USA and Canada's shipment of subsidized wheat that kept the Soviet Union from starving during the Cold War.

Thirteen minutes after Israel became a nation at 4:00 PM, May 14, 1948, the American President recognized Israel as a free, sovereign and independent state.

Joseph Stalin refused to do so saying, "Israel is only a nation on paper". Since the fall of the Soviet Union, about 800,000 Jews have left the bankrupt countries of Eastern Europe to live in Israel! For several decades the USSR had persecuted Jewish citizens and refused them permission to leave.

It is therefore ironic, that when  Russia Bear meets its doom, it will be at the hands of the little nation of Israel. The prophecy is recorded in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and will surely come to pass!

PRIDE: THE SIN OF SATAN

Pride has properly been called 'The Sin of Satan', because it was this sin that brought him down. In a future column to the Edmonton Sun I will share an in-depth study on this evil, destructive and arrogant tendency which the human race has inherited from the Master Deceiver himself.

Here is an outline of that important message:

 Pride is the basis of all rebellion against God.
 Pride is the root cause of secular humanism and false religion.
 Pride is the underlying reason for occultism, spiritualism and the New Age Movement.
 Pride caused Satan's downfall and is perpetuated by his lying spirits.
 Pride is the basic reason for the creation of an infidel science and the evolutionary theory.

The Archangel Lucifer, because of his great wisdom and beauty, rebelled against God and was expelled from heaven. He is now "the prince of the power of the air" and the world's leading terrorist!

He said, "I will ascend into Heaven; I will exalt My throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the clouds; I will be like the Most High". (literal Heb. "I will be the Most High")

PRIDE WAS HIS DOWNFALL!

What will be his end? God spells it out in Ezekiel 28, Isaiah 14 and Revelation 20:10. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

It is imperative that we guard against the spirit of pride! May we all remain humble and flexible in the hands of God, as we serve Him with joy and gladness.

The Premier Sin of Sodom - for which God judged that city with fire and brimstone - was PRIDE! The other four sins were fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, lack of compassion for the poor and needy and the abominable, perverse sexual practice of homosexuality! (Ez. 16:49)

After God judged Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon declared: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase". (Dan. 4:37)

The Bible warns: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever". (1 John 2:15-17)

Let us remember the lesson we have learned from studying the lives of Adolph Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Voltaire, the Russian communists, John Lennon and Lucifer himself.

Vladimir Lenin boasted in 1917: "Religion is the opiate of the people. There is no God, but woe unto us communists if there is one."

 Joseph Stalin declared: "Give me 50 years and there won't be one Christian left in Russia".
 Nikita Kruschev said, "I will close the Churches with one blow".
 Leonid Brezhnev stated, "By 1980 the Church will be dead in Russia".
 Chinese communist leaders said in 1976, Decadent religion and capitalism is thriving in Russia".

While in the USA in 1989, Mikhael Gorbachev, "Only Jesus Christ had all the solutions to life's problems. I don't possess that skill". When a Reporter pressed him on his statement about  Jesus Christ, he answered, "Yes! Jesus Christ!"

Boris Yeltsin said, "Communism is dead in Russia! We have lied to you for 70 years. I promise you - NO MORE LIES"! What a joy to hear the Russian president speak to the US Congress and the American people by television in 1991. I was preaching in Russia at that very time and heard is voice broadcast.

During my Cusades in Russia shortly there after I had the privilege of leading the sister of Michael Gorbajev to Christ in outr crusade in Chernigov. After I had delivered my Gospel message through an interperter many answered the invitation to be saved,, among them was Galina the sister of the Russian Leader.

My routine was to give a Bible to those receiving Christ. After a mass prayer of salvation for the forgiveness of sins and accceptance of Jesus Christ as Sviour and Lord, I sat on a chair and signed every Bible. One of the personal workers whsipered in my ear that a woman wanted to speak with me personally before I signed her Bible,

That lady was the sister of Michael Gorbachev. She asked if I had heard of Michael Gorbachev. I said, "The whole  world knows about him." She answered, "He is my brother but we have different mothers. His name is Michael Sergai Gorbachev while mine is Galina Sergiovana Gorbachev." We kept our coverstion private because the Ukrainians had little love for Russians! She left the Meeting rejoicing in Jesus!

Jesus Christ said: "...I will build My Church and the gates of hall not prevail against it". (Matt. 16:18)

JESUS IS OUR GREAT EXAMPLE!

A study of the Bible clearly shows us the beautiful spirit exemplified by our Lord! In order to secure our salvation, God the Son humbled Himself and was incarnated (God in human flesh), born of a virgin woman in Bethlehem, and lived among men as the "Carpenter's son".

He was blasphemed, castigated, spat upon, scourged, condemned as a common criminal and crucified in shame on a Roman cross, for our sins!

TALK ABOUT HUMILITY!

Jesus - the Son of God - the Creator of the universe was put to death by the very men He was giving life for! He died on the hill He had created, between two common criminals!

St. Paul writes, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:5-11)

WHAT MUST WE DO TO RID OURSELVES OF PRIDE?

St. James admonishes: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up". (James 4:10)

Again the Bible says: "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time:" (1 Peter 5:4-6). Amen.

 Max Solbrekken World Mision Box 44220 RPO Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6. Email:[email protected]; comehometoJesus.ca; Facebook; Youtube; Blog: MSWM; Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donations to max@ maxsolbrekken.com. Thank you so much. May richly bless you. Amen.

                                     WORTHY IS THE LAMB

                                                 By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D. D.

 “And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on a throne a Book written on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice;Who is worthy to open the Book and to loose the seals thereof?

“And no man in Heaven, nor in earth was able to open the Book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the Book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not. Behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the Book and to loose the seven seals thereof.

 “And I beheld and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the Book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.

 “And when He had taken the Book, the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song saying,

“Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy BLOOD out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on earth.

 “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels around the Throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Rev. 5: 1-14)

JEUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD!

For thousands of years Jewish people looked for their promised Messiah. On the Day of Atonement rabbis would stand outside the synagogue saying, “Let one Innocent come and atone for the guilty.” Many years passed and no-one came because there are no innocent people. The Bible says: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom.3:23); “…There is none righteous, no not one.” (Rom.3:10).

God had promised that He would send a Deliverer to free His people from Satanic bondage: “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none else. Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for there is none else.” (Is.45: 5,6,22)

Then, one day John the Baptist pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, saying, “Behold the LAMB of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) The perfect, holy and Innocent ONE had come to REDEEM the world through His perfect atonement upon a Roman Cross on Golgotha!

St. Paul wrote about Him: “But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchanging priesthood. Wherefore He is ABLE also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, Who is Holy, Harmless, Undefiled, Separate from sinners, and made Higher than the heavens;

“Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for their own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did ONCE, when He offered up Himself.” (Heb.7: 24-27)

THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS!

“Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask ye a Sign from the Lord thy God; ask it even in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And He said, Hear ye now, O House of David; is it a small thing to weary men, but will it weary my God also!

“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a SIGN: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his Name Immanuel.” (Is. 7:10-14). Then, one day, John the Baptist pointed to Jesus of Nazareth and said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” (John 1: 29)

The Word of God states: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made  in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:5-11)

When Moses led the Jews from Egypt through the wilderness, they rebelled and God sent fiery serpents. Moses cried to the Lord.“And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live.

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Nu. 21: 8-10)

   MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT!

When they looked at the serpent, it spoke of victory over the serpent’s bite. It goes back to Satan in the Garden of Eden who had tempted Eve. After Adam and Eve’s disastrous fall, God spoke to Satan who was hiding in the serpent, saying:

 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed: It shall bruise (crush) thy head and thou shalt bruise His (Christ) heel. (Gen. 3:15). Almighty God stated that when the SEED of the woman (Christ) would come, the devil would bruise His heel. He would die on the cross but RISE again. Christ rose from the dead and crushed Satan’s head!

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of God be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3: 14,15,36)

The Bible says: “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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16,17)

FINISHED, FULFILLED, PAID!

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30). Jesus spoke in Greek, uttering the word tetelesta, in His victory cry. The word tetelestai has three meanings: to finish something or make an end to something; to fulfill something; to pay that which is owed!

Jesus had finished His work of Redemption and brought to an end Satan’s domination over mankind. He had fulfilled all the Old Testament scriptures about the Messiah. He had paid for all our sins and diseases!

About seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, prophet Isaiah declared: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely, He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was laid upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to His own way; and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53: 3-6)

JESUS CHRIST PASSOVER LAMB!

John the Baptist stated that Jesus of Nazareth was the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb: “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. This is He of whom I said, after Me cometh a man which is preferred before Me: for He was before me. And I knew Him not: but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He that baptizes with the Holy Ghost.

“And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he sayeth, Behold the Son of God.” (John 1:29-36)

REDEMPTION TROUGH HIS BLOOD!

St. Paul declares: “God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His Son; in whom we have Redemption through His BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sins. And having made peace through the Blood of His Cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the Body of His flesh through Death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight.” (Col.1:13-14, 20-22).

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took them out of the way, nailing them to His CROSS. And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2:14: 15)

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for Me.” (Gal:2:20)

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night. And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Rev.12: 9-11)

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev. 20:10).Hallelujah!

“And I saw a great White Throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.” (Rev.20: 11-15).

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD!

The sovereignty of God demanded punishment for SIN and the CROSS provided the Final Solution! For a time, God overlooked or winked at sin by allowing the sacrifice of innocent lambs, goats and bullocks (occasionally a red heifer) to suffice. When the fullness of time had come, Almighty God our Heavenly Father, gave Himself in His SON to be the propitiation for our sins. The word propitiation means ‘the covering, satisfaction, expiation’.

Jesus, the Righteous One humbled Himself and laid down His life, thereby meeting the righteous demand of Divine Justice to atone for sins of Adam and the entire fallen race.

The fifth chapter of Revelation is unique and difficult to understand but it totally glorifies Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death on Golgotha for the redemption of mankind and His glorious resurrection from the dead liberated the human race from Satan’s kingdom of Darkness!

It focuses on Christ’s victory as King of kings, Lord of lords, Saviour and Redeemer of the world. His sacrificial death on the Golgotha’s Cross has purchased our freedom from sin, fear, condemnation, sickness and disease. Through His precious Blood we have received His peace, joy and eternal Life!

GOSPEL OF CHRIST WORKS!   

The Gospel of Jesus Christ works. God anoints His Word through the Holy Spirit. He answers prayer and performs miracles of healings and deliverance for those whobelieve. The Bible states: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

“Afterward He appeared unto the eleven and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen Him after He was risen.And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

“And these Signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; thy shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with Signs following.” (Mar 16: 14-20). The Key to miracles is found in this text: “The Lord working with them.”

If the Lord is not involved in the prayer, there will not be any miracle! He confirms the Word preached. He gives us the faith necessary! He is the Miracle Worker! It is by grace alone, through faith alone and in Christ alone!

                                           FOR GOD’S GLORY ALONE!

Here is a personal letter we received four years ago:

Max, my life was impacted greatly, and I thank you for coming to Dawson City in the 1980’s to minister to Dawson City Pentecostal Church. I remember you had some individuals with you and we had services in the School Auditorium. You prayed for many people over two days, including me.

We had about six Bible School students with us. One was healed of Asthma and another was healed emotionally. Jim’s niece walked home from being in a wheelchair and one First Nation individual was set free. It meant alot that you came up there to Dawson City. God bless you, Max. We also came to see you in Edmonton.

Jim & Elaine Caruso, Langley, B.C.         

               GOD HEALED OUR DAUGHTER’S KIDNEYS!

“God healed our daughter’s kidneys” says Nina and Lasse Steen of Bergen, Norway. In December 1983 God visited our home and healed our 5 year old daughter Cecilie. Ever since birth she had trouble with her kidneys and would wet her clothes many times every day. There was nothing she could do about and nothing the doctors could do, until last December when God sent his servant Max Solbrekken from Canada to hold a large crusade at the Eldorado Centre here in Bergen. Hundreds of people were saved, healed, and blessed during those wonderful days.

Pastor Solbrekken stayed, by the divine will of God, in our Mission Hotel. Daily he came and worshipped with us, and faith arose in our hearts to ask him for our little Cecilie. We were having coffee together one day when little Cecilie came in with her friend from outside where she had been playing. As usual, she was soaking wet.

After Nina washed and changed her clothes, Pastor Solbrekken put her on his knee and prayeda gripping prayer to the Lord for her healing. She was instantly healed and a staggering miracle occurred. There hasn’t been as much as a drop since that day. To God be the glory, great things He hath done.

  JESUS HEALEDMY CRUSHED HIP BONE!

By Vigdis Simonsen of Narvik, Norway

I had been a backslidden Christian for 16 years. In spite of this, I decided to attend the meetings of Max Solbrekken in Narvik. When Max made the altar call the first night I attended, there was a terrible battle going on within me. It was as if I heard a voice saying, “This is not for you…You are not among the chosen ones.”But, there was another voice telling me that this was my opportunity, however, I remained quiet in my seat.

When I returned to my home, it was as if a voice was telling me that this chance would be one of my last ones. It became very serious to me and it also scared me. So, I went back to the Meeting the next night and this time I answered the call to receive Jesus Christ as my Saviour! But, something else happened. To explain that, I must go back a little in time to give you the whole story.

Before Christmas, I fell and broke my hip and had to have surgery. I had to stay home for 16 weeks. When I went back to the hospital for a check up, the doctor was not at all pleased with the fracture. I was told to use two crutches until the 4^th of April. But, when I went for another check up, the doctor was still not pleased with the result because the fracture had not healed like it was supposed to. So, I had to continue using two crutches until the 16^th of May. When I saw the doctor again he was still not satisfied, but I was allowed to drop one crutch on my own recognizance. He said that I must be extremely careful, and only step very cautiously on my foot; and I was only allowed to this indoors.

When I came to the Meeting the second night (July 3), I could neither bow my left knee – where my hip had been fractured – nor could I walk straight. I was dragging my left leg behind me, and there was much pain. It was almost impossible for me to walk up the steps of the stairs. When Max Solbrekken had finished praying for everybody that had come forward, someone asked him to come down to where I was sitting.

He laid his hand on my hip and prayed for me. warm went through my hip and my back and my leg and all the pain disappeared immediately. Afterwards I walked back and forth on the floor, and I even ran up and down the stairs to the platform with no pain and no difficulties whatsoever. I can’t explain what happened, but I was instantly and completely healed, and I can only thank God for what He did for me. He is wonderful!

Note: These testimonies taken from the Cry of His Coming July, 1984.

Max Solbrekken World Mision Box 44220 RPO Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6. Email:[email protected]; comehometoJesus.ca; Facebook; Youtube; Blog: MSWM; Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donations to max@ maxsolbrekken.com. Thank you so much. May richly bless you. Amen.

                                       MYSTERY OF THE GODHEAD                                        by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

The Holy Bible is the Book of God. It is filled with great truths which are above and beyond our understanding. Jesus quoted from it and demonstrated its message by fulfilling many of the Old Testament prophecies through His words, ministry, miracles and wonders. He purchased our eternal salvation through His vicarious death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead.

“In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth… Elohim is a pluralized form of God which nevertheless retains a mysteriously singular meaning!  In Genesis 1: 1, 26 we have the verbs ‘created’ and ‘said’ in the singular, the Name of God in its plural form ‘Elohim’ and the plural pronoun ‘us’.

In the Hebrew language the noun, its verb and its adjective must all agree in number and gender. But, in the Genesis Record God announces Himself as Elohim totally pulverizing these grammatical rules!

WHY IS THIS?

No human language can adequately contain or express God Almighty! God’s announcement of His Person shows the uniqueness of the Divine unity of the Eternal. God said to Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son. (Gen. 22:2). He used the word (yahid). When Adam and Eve became one flesh, the word (ehad) is used to denote a compound unity.

In Deut. 6:4, the Word of God states, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord (compound unity, Ehad). Hebrew scholars have recently translated the (Shema) of Adam - the blood of God, from the dust of the earth. Dust (minute particles) ground (adamah – the totality of all that God is!) And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

Deut. 6:4 say: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord Alone”, instead of “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The Ugaric Tablets recently unearthed by archaeologists in the ancient Masoretic Text changes the meaning of this text from God’s oneness (a theological point) to God’s exclusivity, at a time there were many pagan gods being worshipped!

GOD CREATED MAN FROM DUST

“And God said, Let Us (Elohim) make man (Adahm, Adam, the Blood of God) in Our image, after Our likeness (damos, an exact duplication in kind)…So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (Gen. 1:26,27)

“And the Lord God formed man (breath of life) and man became a living soul.” (nephish, spirit). (Gen, 2:7). In the Hebrew the word man, is called Adahm, Adam, the blood of God.

God took of Himself to make the earth and when He made Adam he used the dust (afar- minute particles) of the ground (adhama – the totality of all God is). God made Adam from the ground which He had made.

ONE & ONLY ONE TRUE GOD

One and Only God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the Divine Economy of God there is no room for counterfeits or manufactured gods. The very first of the Ten Commandments, Almighty God wrote with His own finger on two tablets of stone these awesome words: “Thou shalt have NO gods before ME.”

THE TRIUNE GOD: God the Father (Ps. 46:1; Jer. 2:13. God the Son: Zech 13:6,7; John 4: 10. God the Holy Spirit: Gen 6:3; Acts 2: 1-17; John 7:37, 38)

The Father is made of None, neither created or begotten. The Son is of the Father Alone; not made, nor created but Begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Son, neither made nor created but proceeding. - ATHANASES CREED (Confession of Faith).

What does this all mean? Everything that God did came from Himself alone. When God created the earth He took of Himself. When He made Adam He used the ground into which He had given life. In this great Creation we find the Hebrew words bara to create, asah to make, yatsar to formed used interchangeably.

In Genesis 1: 12 we read: "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." Here, the Latin word is ex nihilo meaning, 'out of nothing".

To wrap it all up we discover that in the beginning, Almighty God took of Himself to create, make and fashion all things out of Nothing!

TESTIMONY OF JESUS: THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY

 “And he saith unto me; Write, blessed are they which are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he saith   unto me: These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. 

"And he saith unto me, See thou do it not. I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19: 9. 10)

Every prophecy given in the Holy Scriptures or through the Old Testament prophets in the Synagogue or in the New Testament Church had ONE goal in the final analysis – that was to declare the Testimony of Jesus, which is the Record that Almighty God gave of His Son:

The Redemption of the human race and the glorification of the Father through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and His glorious resurrection from the dead, three days later!

THE GREATEST SIN

The greatest sin anyone could commit is to reject the Testimony that God the Father gave of Him: He is the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! The Testimony that Jesus gave of Himself. (John 14: 11-14) And the testimony that His Heavenly Father gave about Jesus Christ His Son: If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son.

“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the Record that God gave of His Son. And this is the Record that God hath given to us Eternal Life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5: 10-12)

If Jesus is the Subject, then Jesus is the Source. If Jesus is the Object, then the Testimony concerning Him is the Source. The Holy Spirit is the Source of all prophecy and the primary focus of the revelation He provides concerning Jesus of Nazareth

Every prophecy given ultimately pointed to and must continually point to Jesus Christ, the Saviour, Redeemer, and Liberator of mankind. He fulfills all prophecies; past, present, and future! 

True prophecy is that Jesus Christ who created the world and all things in it, died vicariously on the Cross at Golgotha for the sins of His creation to bring us to God the Father, and to reign with Him throughout eternity!    

JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY

After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, His followers were identified as following The Way. “And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest. And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this Way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1,2)

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6). There is only one way to God the Father, Eternal Life and Heaven. Jesus Christ alone is that way. 

Through His vicarious death for us on Golgotha and His resurrection from the dead on the third day, He met the righteous demands of divine Justice in the courts of Heaven!

Jesus Christ is the Truth. In Him there are no falsehoods or lies. You can trust Him completely because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has not lied, He will not lie, and He cannot lie because Jesus Himself is the Truth!

He said, “Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you true. If the SON therefore shall make you free, ye shall free indeed.” (John 8: 32,36). Jesus is the Word of God and is the Truth. He alone can be trusted, for He is God!

Jesus Christ is the Life

The Bible says: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. This is He of whom I said; After me cometh a Man which is preferred before me: for He was before me. And I knew Him not: but that He should be made manifest to Israel therefore am I come baptizing with water.

“And John bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not, but He that sent me baptize with water, the same said unto me, 

"Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God.” (John 1:29)

HE THAT HATH THE SON HATH LIFE

St. John stated: “And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal Life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath LIFE, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not Life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:11-13) 

My precious friend, call upon the Name of the LORD in faith, asking Him to wash away your sins and He will become your Saviour, Lord and Master! In faith ask Him to heal you. By His stripes we are made whole! 1 Peter 2:24. Amen.

Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Garside Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; MSWM; [email protected]; comehometojesus.ca; Donations may be sent by e-Transfer. Make your donation to [email protected]. Thank you and may the Lord richly bless you!