The Healing Word

Pastor Jack Morris: We have a destiny. We have been designed for abundant living here and abundant living in heaven in that time to come.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Healing Word, a radio ministry of the Largo Community Church. Here's Pastor Jack Morris with today's message that will grow your faith in God and lead you to a closer walk with Jesus.

Pastor Jack Morris: Before I go into the message proper, I received some questions and I'm going to try to answer those questions now. This person who wrote to me said that she has an aunt who lives way off in another state. This aunt is in her eighties and has gone to church all her life, and never one time has she heard a sermon or any teaching on the Rapture of the church.

Now, that's part of the Bible. It's a big part of the Bible. As I said in the very beginning, over 300 messages in the Old Testament and over 300 in the New Testament. That's well over 600 scriptures that tell us that Jesus is coming again. How can I ignore it? I don't think you want me to ignore it because you've been coming here every Sunday hearing these messages. I'm only going to do one, maybe two more after today. I'm just not sure right where we are, but we're going to come down and close that series out. Then I'm going to package them in DVDs and CDs. If you want them, you can receive them if you'd like to give an offering of any amount to ChangePoint.

The questions are great questions, questions that we all need to ask ourselves and answer. What about the sins that we have not confessed? What happens if we don't confess sins or we only confess some sins? What about if we have some sins that we don't want to confess? That means we want to hold on to them, perhaps keep doing them. And then, how about the sins that we have forgotten?

Well, Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned. There's no doubt about that. When I'm talking about sin, all I'm saying is maybe we ought to put it this way: sin is a biblical word, it's a theological term. It means simply, I've done wrong. I've done wrong to God, I've done wrong to somebody, and I've done wrong to myself. I have to confess my wrongs. That's what I'm talking about, confessing our sins—the wrongs that we have done.

We have all done wrong somewhere along the way, and we've more than likely done it a whole lot of times. Then in 2 Peter 3:9, it says that God is not willing that any should perish. God wants to love everyone and he indeed does love everyone. Whether they're a sinner or whether they're a saint, his love is there. But he can only help the people who confess and acknowledge in all honesty to him. He will bless that person and forgive sins.

Sins we haven't confessed, that means we are still maintaining or retaining a sin. We need to confess it. The only way we can get sin out of our lives is by saying it with our mouth. It's the easiest thing in the world to become a Christian. Jesus paid the price. He's the one that suffered. All I have to do is just say some things to God, and the things that I say to God are the sins that I've committed. Then I'm free of those sins.

It's the easiest thing in the world to become a Christian. The scripture says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and he is just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all wrongdoing. The Bible says righteousness, and that means just wrongdoing. All we have to do is just tell it to him. We can be dressed up, we can be in church, we can be out mowing the grass. Wherever we are, we just tell it to him and keep right on mowing the grass. If anybody misses heaven, I don't know what to say to you. I really don't. It's the easiest thing in all the world.

The scripture says in Micah 7:19 that when we confess our sins, God puts them in the sea of forgetfulness, never to remember them against us again anymore. He just takes them like a stone and throws them over into the river somewhere and they're gone forevermore. He uses the word "sea" just to help us to understand it's over. It's gone. You're free from that sin.

In 1 John 1:8 and 9, it says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive. Now it says, "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Friend, listen to me. You've got to say it. With the mouth, how much more plain can that be? With the mouth confession is made unto salvation, and with the heart, men and women believe unto righteousness, or being made into right standing with God.

Now the question also was if we have forgotten some sins. Well, God's not going to hold anybody accountable for something that they're not responsible for. If we forget, he can't hold us. Now, the Holy Spirit will be very faithful to bring back to our remembrance things that we have done, and we have to go make those things right.

I remember when I first gave my heart to the Lord. I was just a young teenager. I remember going to a five and ten-cent store before I gave my heart to the Lord and I picked up a toy that I didn't pay for, a penknife or something. I don't know what it was. It's been so long ago. It was a long time ago since I was a boy. I went back and I got the manager and I said, "Sir, I took something out of your store a long time ago." What an opportunity to testify. Wow.

He stood there with his jaw dropped almost, and I told him the whole story. He never said a word. He just stood there in pure silence. Actually, afterwards, it got sort of awkward and I just said, "Okay, goodbye." I left. But I'll tell you, my soul was free. I was clear. Friend, there are just some things that you have to do, and when you do it, the Lord will bless and it'll make it all right. We just don't ignore it. But if nothing comes back to our remembrance, then there's nothing to confess. I can't confess what I can't remember. But if I'm to confess it, you can be sure the Lord's going to bring it to me, then I'll remember it.

My first church was down in Virginia. I only stayed there about a year and a half. I was 23 years old. In a year and a half, I'd preached every sermon in the Bible. I'm only kidding. I just ran out of sermons. I just didn't know enough. Those poor people, how they had to put up with me. And so I went to another church and I preached the same sermons again for a year and a half. I thought, "Hey, this isn't working. There's got to be more in the Bible. I've got to learn some more."

But in that first church, there was a young man—well, no, he wasn't so awfully young. He was older than I was at that time. His name was Roy Rooker. Roy was mentally challenged. He was about 6'1". He would come by the parsonage and knock on the door and had a good attitude, smiling all the time. I thought, "Boy, if that's being mentally challenged, I wish there were maybe a whole lot of us would be a little mentally challenged." He was as pleasant as he could be, and he'd come to church all the time.

One time I was going into town and Roy was in the back seat and we were riding along. He spoke up and he said to me, he said, "Pastor Morris, I didn't pay my tithes last week." I thought, "Oh my, where did that come from?" I said, "You didn't pay your tithes last week?" Well, Roy didn't have a job and I said, "Well Roy, did you get any money last week?" He said, "No." I said, "Well, if you don't get money, then you don't have any tithes. You only tithe if you have money."

But this is what the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 8:12. Listen to this: "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." So Roy didn't have it, so he couldn't give it, but he got a tithe-offering blessing just the same. The willingness was there, he just didn't have quite the understanding. But God knows the heart and he knows how honest we all are.

So what I'm trying to say is, if there's a sin back there that I can't remember, and the Lord knows that if he brings it to my mind, I will confess it, the willingness is there, so I'm clear of it. Does that make any sense to you? Okay, alright. Did that help? All right. The lady that asked the question put up a thumb, so I must be on a good track right now.

A wonderful destiny you have. Every child of God is blessed with a wonderful destiny. Friend, I'm talking about you and me today. He is a God of blessing, a wonderful Heavenly Father who blesses us. I know this. This is a fact because the Bible says so. I want you to turn to a neighbor and say, "You are a blessed person." Indeed you are. You are a blessed person.

Now, the Rapture's going to take place, then we're going to have the Judgment Seat, then we're going to have the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That's going to take seven years—the Antichrist and tribulation. But at the end of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Jesus is going to come back. You see the arrows coming down? That's when he's going to come back with ten thousand of his saints. He's going to come all the way to Earth and his feet will touch the Mount of Olives.

Here, he's only going to descend in the clouds. He's only going to come partially to earth, and then we will be raptured up to be with him and meet him in the air, and he'll escort us back. But when he comes here after seven years, the scripture says he's going to come all the way to Earth and his feet will touch the Mount of Olives, and it will cleave. The mountain will split in half.

Right now, every believer here today, every believer, you are designed to pray to the throne of God's grace. You are destined. God equipped you, God made you, and you have a wonderful destiny. You can go to the throne of grace with all your problems and all your needs anytime of the day or night. Whatever the problem is, whether it be a physical problem, a marital, a financial, whatever the problem, you can take it to the Lord.

You have been designed to go to heaven with your voice anytime you want to. You have a standing invitation. That's why I never can quite understand why God's people are so reluctant to pray or they pray so infrequently when they have this wonderful equipment ordained of God put within them, created within them, to take that problem, that need, that trial, that hurt, that pain to the throne of God's grace. Isn't it wonderful?

Come on, somebody ought to say, "Praise the Lord." Friend, you can pray right now. The Lord is with you to hear your prayer. If it's sin that needs to confess, a wrongdoing, if it's a problem, a difficulty, a financial, anything and everything, you can take it to the Lord. You have a standing invitation. Now, that is a wonderful destiny, is it not? Don't forget that.

Another destiny, you are equipped for companionship with Jesus. Only the believer walks with Jesus and has that kind of equipment and that kind of companionship. Jesus promises that he'll be with you in this life, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in sadness, whoever you are, whatever your need, he is there.

Now, no one else can make that promise. No one else is with you all the time. Who's with you all the time? Not even your wife, not even your husband, not even your parents. You love to be with some people, but the people you love to be with, you can't be with them all the time. But you can be with Jesus all the time because Jesus is with you all the time. You are designed, you are equipped.

Friend, you have a wonderful destiny, do you not? To live a victorious, overcoming life. And then when this life is over, he's not going to leave you. Like the Psalmist says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me." Friend, start out with Jesus and just keep going with Jesus until the Rapture takes place and you go to heaven with Jesus—the Jesus that you're going to be with throughout all eternity. You can be with him right now. Right now. And if you're with him right now and you are enjoying him right now, heaven is going to be much more enjoyable when you see him face to face.

Praise be to the Lord. What a blessed people we are. But then, how about that future destiny? What's it going to be like? The scripture says that God has given each of us a future and a hope, and God has this wonderful design for you. It's all going to become a reality. Everything God does for you is good.

There was a young man one time came to Jesus and he said, "What good thing can I do to inherit eternal life?" And he referred to Jesus as good, and Jesus says, "Why do you call me good? There's only one that is good, and that is God." Now, if you're calling me good, then you must be saying I am God. Friend, God is intrinsically good, and when God comes into your life, good comes into your life, and when God stays in your life, then good stays in your life.

So there's the good of everything. Now, there's the good of the Rapture. Look at there. One of these days, and we're getting close, we've come about 2,000 years, we're pretty close now. Maybe another 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, maybe another 20 minutes. Who knows when that's going to happen and the Lord's going to come and the Rapture's going to take place? What a good thing that's going to be because you're going to get out of all of this Antichrist and tribulation mess that's coming on the Earth.

Friend, only Jesus can get us out of here. Only Jesus, and he will, and he has promised to do so. So the Rapture's going to take place. What a good thing that's going to be. Then we're going to go and have the Judgment Seat of Christ where we're going to be rewarded. Everything God does is good. And what rewards are going to be given out, even by my dear friend who I'm sure Roy Rooker must be gone.

Sometimes he could tithe and sometimes he couldn't tithe, but I know that he's going to have a sane mind and God's going to give him a reward because he had a willing heart. When he could, he did, and when he couldn't, he didn't, but his heart was right with God. A heart right with God. And then the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Oh, how great that's going to be.

The scripture said, "Blessed are those who are invited." You know, when you have a wedding, not everybody's invited. You only invite the precious people, the people that you love and that are near you. The people that are out there on the front, you can't invite everybody, so you have to be very, very selective. So when you get an invitation, you are a very selective and honored person. Jesus said, "I'm going to give you an invitation." Matter of fact, he's handing out invitations right now. Have you got your invitation? Invitation to the wedding, what a wedding that's going to be.

Now, this we're going to do here in just a little while is going to be somewhat symbolic of what's going to happen in heaven some of these days. When Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples, he broke the bread and he told them that when he gave them the fruit of the vine, the wine, he said, "I'm not going to drink it until I drink it with you in my Father's kingdom." So every time we come to this table, every first Sunday, we're saying, "I'm going to a wedding, I'm going to a wedding." Weddings are happy, joyous times, at least they're supposed to be.

This should be a happy, joyous time. He said, "Do this in remembrance of me." Friend, don't forget who you are. Don't forget what Jesus has done for you. Don't forget what's going to happen. Don't forget that you have a great and wonderful destiny now and a destiny in heaven with him someday soon. What a day that's going to be when the Lord calls us to be in his wonderful, wonderful presence.

Now, it says, "For I have received from the Lord," this is what the Apostle Paul said, "what I also passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread and broke it." I'm going to be doing that in just a little while, but when we get to heaven, you're going to see Jesus do it. Friend, you're coming face to face with Jesus soon. Let's come face to face with him today at this holy altar and experience his joy and his love.

Begin that destiny right now. It all began when we accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, confessed our sins, and he came into our life. Then we look now to his blessing upon us through prayer and through companionship and knowing at any time the Rapture's going to take place, and what a glorious event that's going to be. And then the rewards, and then the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and then way over here, eternal life, the perfect state. Revelation 21 and 22. Friend, take your chart, take it home, look up those scriptures. They will bless you. You will be so thrilled with who you are and what God has done for you and how he has blessed you.

Now Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you." He's getting it all ready, and when it's ready, it's going to happen. Jesus is going to come. Now, the Authorized Version says in verse 7 that it's a mystery. This is a mystery that is going on. The people that are who have not been initiated, that means the people who have not become a Christian, cannot understand. What do you see in going to church on Sunday? Man, you could be sleeping in on a rainy day. On a sunny day, you could be playing golf, or you could be at the ocean. There's all kinds of things out there that are competing for your attention and your time. Why do you give up and go to church?

See, they're not initiated. They don't understand what you and I are feeling and experiencing in our heart today. We have a destiny. We have been designed for abundant living here and abundant living in heaven in that time to come. Now that mystery is the giving of our hearts to the Lord and having a very special relationship with Jesus Christ. And then it's going to happen, then we're going to have him here, and then we're going to have him there. What a day, glorious day, that's going to be. I read this someplace, and I don't know where. I have looked and I have searched and I can't find the author, but the words are in my mind.

Someday when you're weary and your work's half done, someday when you're watching at the evening sun, suddenly the trumpet blast will wake the dead. Jesus will come back again just like he said. Then the Lord will give a shout and angels sing, heaven's gates will stand ajar and bells will ring. This is not a dream, though it may seem that way, for someday Jesus Christ is coming again.

I can see them up in heaven, hear them sing, some from every tribe and nation with their king. Not by works of righteousness is this their plea, but I'm redeemed by blood alone from Calvary. Safe within the shepherd's fold, all trials past, now to walk on streets of gold with Christ at last. This is not a dream, though it may seem that way, for Jesus is coming again.

And you can be ready, and I can be ready. Friend, you're destined for life—life now and life everlasting through him who loved you and gave himself for you. Amen.

Guest (Male): We'd like to invite you to join Pastor Jack Morris and the Healing Word family in both prayer and support of this ministry. Your prayer strengthens us, and your gifts, large or small, help us extend the reach of God's Word to more people who need his hope. Every gift is deeply appreciated. To stand with us today, simply visit thehealingword.com and click on the donate tab. Together we can share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.