"Not For Sale"
If this finds you in service to Christ, sold out to Him, then this is a glorious day. If this finds you away from Christ, lost in sin, backslidden or lukewarm, sold out to satan, your days are short. The ways of a transgressor are hard and there is pleasure in sin but for a season. The happiness and good times of the person away from Christ are short-lived. Oh praise Jesus, it doesn't have to be that way! Jesus made a way for ALL to have an abundant life and an eternal life in Heaven. A wonderful life with Christ is waiting just for you. Sin is a sickness unto death. The spiritually dead will spend eternity in hell. There are a few who know the peace, love, joy of God, and they walk through this world joyously awaiting the Lord's return. Daily they face trials and tribulations, but they are NEVER alone. Jesus walks with them as do their brothers and sisters in the Lord. Anyone reading this has that same opportunity. Just as you are, right now God will accept you, if you cry out confessing your sins in repentance through and by the Blood of Jesus Christ. If you truly believe and repent (turn away from sin, bringing forth change), then Jesus will come in and rule and reign as King on the throne of your heart. Then you can say, 'my soul is not for sale'. The title of our message today is,
"Not For Sale".
Before we go further, let me tell each of you that I love you. Regardless of your financial state, your standing in society, your physical condition, the color of your skin, child of God or sinner. I love you. The Holy Spirit has been giving me some pretty hard messages to preach, and many people have stepped back away from me. Let me tell you, I don't know your life. I don't know how you live. But God does! I don't pick these messages � God gives them. Many times I think I have the message, or someone will ask me to preach on a particular subject. I'll sit down and the Holy Spirit won't let me get past the title. The Holy Spirit is my Teacher. The Holy Spirit is the Preacher. I am only a mere pitiful piece of flesh and blood that yields to Him. Each message is for our growth, for all who will hear. Many times it is a warning. To some it is the last warning. People can get mad at me or offended, but they must beware: God�s Word is being spoken. His instruction and the call to repentance are going out. Souls are at stake, maybe even yours. Listen to the Holy Spirit, don�t be offended at the Word or feel I�m beating you up. Oh, but please know the Word comes hard because I love you, because HE loves you! These are not times to play or be childish � these are serious times. I told another man of God just a few minutes ago: �If I ever get to a place where people or money dictate what I preach, I�ll quit!� I mean that. I love you all too much to lead you to hell. God�s Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. God�s Word nor God Himself ever changes (Malachi 3:6a), but men do. I stand before all today to say this Gospel is �Not For Sale!�
We live in a day when you see most anything and everything for sale. For a price you can buy anything you want. Some say that absolution from hell can be bought. What comes to my mind is the people of God selling out to the world. We have all the promises of God at our asking, but instead of selling out to God, many take the easy road of pleasure. This is nothing new though... I think most all of you have read or heard God�s account of Esau and Jacob. If you turn to Genesis 25:19 you can study it for yourself. We know that in verse 23, God told Rebekah what would take place between the two sons. Remember last month I told you God knows the decisions we will make? Esau had the birthright being first born � it was his inheritance. That inheri-tance consisted of great things, one being the head of the family and leadership in worship. Second, he would receive a double portion of all the inheritance. Last, he held title to all the blessings of God that had been promised. The Word says he was a �cunning hunter�, while his brother Jacob was a �plain man�. Esau had the favor of his father. The story is right there in that chapter � he was faint. What he does next reveals just how little he valued God�s blessings and covenant promises. In verse 31 Jacob said, �Sell me this day thy birthright.� In a split second Esau foolishly traded his present and future blessings for just a bit of food! The Word of God said he despised his birthright! On the other hand, his brother desired to take it. Can you hear what the Spirit is saying? I don�t need to recount the �preachers� and other �men of God� who have sold their birthright � all the promises of God � for monetary pleasure. This world and all that is in it will all pass away! Nothing here is forever, it is all temporal. That act of pleasure with some man or woman is not your birthright. Whatever it is that is luring you away today is not worth your soul! It is not worth the blessings God has for you and your children. Nothing that takes you away from your time with God is worth your birthright. Don�t sell it! Yes, there is someone standing there waiting, hiding in disguise just to meet your price. Only you can put a price on your birthright. We are all heirs to the kingdom of Heaven and of God�s promises. We hold the title and yes, we can sell it. Only YOU can plant your feet in the Word of God, not moving, resisting all that satan offers and say, �NOT FOR SALE!�
Note in Genesis 37 how some men hated their younger brother Joseph. They couldn�t speak peaceably to him. They envied him and treated him cruelly. Finally they sold him into slavery. Joseph�s oldest brother Reuben was also guilty of selling his birthright. Reuben was first born and supposed to be a leader, but he lost all his influence and couldn�t lead effectively because of his immorality with Bilhah. A high price to pay for pleasure. Father, mother, preacher, teacher � how many have you sold into bondage by having a price on your birthright? How many children have ended up on drugs and in the streets, even in hell, because their leader had a price? In any form of leadership we have an obligation to stand strong. Not to be swayed. NO compromise of God�s Word for any price. Not for financial gain. Not for pleasure. Not for bigger crowds. Not for popularity. Each man and women that accepts Christ has that responsibility, to teach by example to know the Word of God. To be Spirit-led. Are we our brother�s keepers? Yes! Does satan want to buy us out? Yes! At what price? Any! What did Jesus do in Matthew 4 when He was led into the wilderness and tempted? He used the Word of GOD! What price have you put on your soul and all that you influence today? Are you fasting? Are you praying? Are you seeking God in the Word? All those things are the price we must pay if we are to remain, �NOT For Sale!�
Our Saviour Jesus Christ has been sold out countless times over the ages. We know that He broke up the money-making in the temple. Everyone had to come to the temple for Passover, and they had to be cleansed. So Caiaphus and the chief priests made much money off of the baths. Many had to exchange their money to the coin of that city. The money-changers would do that at a very high rate of exchange. They had to have doves to sacrifice and other animals, and all those were for sale at a price. It made Caiaphus and the chief priests wealthy. Then along came Jesus, a rebel and troublemaker to them. He was teaching something to the people, contrary to their money-making scheme. They had to be rid of Jesus. Judas in Matthew 26:15, �And he said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.� Jesus was separate, peculiar and preached the Truth to all who would receive it. He didn�t charge anyone a dime, the Gospel (Good News) was free to all. Salvation and healing were free. No one had to send Jesus an offering for the Word. He didn�t want an offering for your healing or to anoint you. Jesus didn�t want to sell you any books or tapes or education. He was totally different from the world religious sect. Just when they thought they had gotten rid of Him, He AROSE! Christianity was born with a small number of people (in comparison to the world) on the day of Pentecost. True Christians have preached and taught a free Gospel, offering salvation and birthright to all ever since. And at no cost! The religious, along with the rest of the world, under the influence of their father, satan, have sought to stop them. They try to buy Christians, wanting them to compromise. And when that doesn�t work, the persecutions come. There is one example of satan trying to buy a man of God in Acts 8:18. As I think of how free the Gospel is, Acts 3:6 comes to mind: �Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee...� No friend, this Gospel � our Jesus � is �Not For Sale!�
I wish I could have preached this message in person to you. This is a short version and there is so much more! A preacher friend of mine, Brother Robinson, used to sing a song called �House of Gold�. That old song said a lot about how a man could value his soul. What value do you put on your soul today? How much for your children? How much for that stranger? Check your heart today. Jesus said that He didn�t even have a place to lay His head. All that you can acquire will mean nothing in the end, except for your relationship with God. Don�t sell it!
Love In Christ, Bro. Don George
THE QUARTER
Several years ago a preacher moved to a new city. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.
As he considered what to do, the preacher thought to himself, "You had better give it back - it would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh forget it - it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."
When his stop came, he paused a moment at the door, then handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change." The driver with a smile replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I've been thinking lately about going to church somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."
When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole and held on! He said, "Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter!!!"
***Our lives are the only Bible some people ever read!***
