Participants: Dennis Uffindell
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000049
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00:29 We want to welcome you to our program today.
00:32 We're going to deal with the topic that many Christians 00:35 wouldn't have thought of as being a problem. 00:37 But before we do that, 00:38 I just say my name is Denis Uffindell 00:41 and glad to be sharing this program with you. 00:44 Let us have a word with the Lord before we start. 00:49 Dear Father in Heaven, 00:52 we come to You in Your worthiest day, 00:55 and our desire is to hear You speaking to us, 00:59 that we might receive of Your instruction 01:02 and be blessed in a progressive work with You. 01:05 And so give us attentive ears, 01:08 and listening hearts to Your spirit 01:10 we ask in Jesus' name, amen. 01:17 The topic that I have for you is by name blasphemy. 01:23 Now, you might think that 01:24 that's a little strange to talk to Christians about 01:26 because you may not think that 01:28 that's a problem for a Christian. 01:30 But I would like to ask you a question. 01:33 How many of you have just blasphemed God this week? 01:37 Most of you, I am sure would say no. 01:41 But I think as we go on a little bit, 01:42 you may find, you have to change you mind. 01:46 What is the meaning of blasphemy? 01:48 Well, the Apostle Paul in 1st Timothy 6:1 says this, 01:53 "That the name of God 01:54 and his doctrine be not blasphemed." 01:58 And in Titus 2:5, 01:59 "That the Word of God, be not blasphemed." 02:04 And he is talking about Christians living lives that 02:07 are inconsistent with Christianity, 02:10 and therefore bringing blasphemy 02:13 upon the name of God and upon the Bible. 02:17 So may I just point this out, the tragedy is, 02:22 that many people never become Christians 02:24 and others leave because of the inconsistency 02:28 of the lives of those who profess to be Christians. 02:32 In this case, they are causing 02:35 the name of God to be blasphemed. 02:38 So it is a serious thing. 02:40 But one might say, well, we are not responsible 02:42 for the evil that other people do. 02:46 Well, that's not altogether true 02:47 because we are responsible 02:49 for what we cause other people to do, 02:53 and we need to bear that in mind. 02:56 And there is another thing. 02:57 You remember that Solomon, 02:59 while he was a very fine follower 03:02 of God as a young man, 03:04 he later allowed things to happen in his life, 03:08 which drew him away from God. 03:12 And as a result, his life became a terrible blasphemy 03:15 against the name of God. 03:17 And he almost lost his way totally, 03:20 and never came back, 03:21 but fortunately he did come back. 03:25 Now, there is such a thing as an unforgivable blasphemy. 03:28 And Jesus speaks about that in Matthew 12:30 to 32. 03:35 He says, "All manner of sin 03:38 and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: 03:41 but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost 03:43 shall not be forgiven unto men." 03:46 Now on the surface of it, 03:47 it would appear that here is a sin so bad, 03:50 that even God says, "Sorry, I am not forgiving that." 03:53 But that is not really what it's all about. 03:57 There are several aspects to this. 04:00 First of all there is a blasphemy 04:03 which is a progressive hardening of heart. 04:07 We read about that, so far as the children of Israel 04:09 are concerned in 2nd Kings 17:13-14. 04:14 It says there, 04:16 "The Lord testified against Israel saying, 04:19 "Turn ye from your evil ways." 04:22 Notwithstanding, they would not hear, 04:24 but hardened their necks like their fathers 04:28 that did not believe in the Lord their God." 04:31 So here is a progressive saying, 04:34 no to God that results in the end 04:37 in someone being unable to ever say yes to Him again. 04:41 So it's a very dangerous thing to do that. 04:46 In the case of the Jews before the time of Christ, 04:49 time and the time again this happened until, 04:52 when Jesus left the temple for the last time, 04:55 He said, "Henceforth, 04:56 your house is left unto you desolate." 04:59 What did He mean by that? 05:01 He meant that God's presence would never be there again. 05:04 And as a nation, they ceased to be His people. 05:07 And as individuals, we can deal with that today. 05:11 That's why the Apostle Paul in Hebrews Chapter 3 says this, 05:16 "Today, if you will hear His voice, 05:19 harden not your hearts." 05:21 So, there is a time to say yes, 05:25 and there's a time 05:26 when perhaps it's to late to say yes. 05:30 What really was their failure? 05:32 It was to act in faith, upon the leading of God. 05:36 You see it's one thing to say I believe, 05:39 it's another thing to act on that belief 05:41 and prove that that belief is real. 05:45 So while at one stage, in the time of Jesus, 05:48 some of those who eventually crucified Him, 05:51 actually did believe in Him, 05:53 because they did not act upon that belief 05:56 because of the attitude of others. 05:59 In the end they ceased to believe, and they were lost. 06:05 But there's another factor, 06:06 and even perhaps more common factor, 06:10 that we have to bear in mind. 06:12 It would have been impossible, 06:13 I believe for them to have done that, 06:16 if they had spend real time with Jesus 06:20 or with God and His word, 06:22 opening their hearts to Him everyday. 06:26 The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit 06:29 is the progressive choice not to spend time with Him. 06:33 I'd like to repeat that because it's so important. 06:36 The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost that Jesus spoke 06:39 of is the progressive failure choice, 06:44 not to spend time with Him, which in the end proves fatal, 06:49 because the time comes, 06:51 when we are incapable 06:53 of spending time with Him anymore. 06:57 You know, one of the most beautiful symbols 06:59 that God uses of His relationship 07:01 with His Church is that of marriage. 07:06 In fact, in Jeremiah 3:14, He says, 07:09 "Turn, O backsliding Israel," says the Lord God, 07:13 "For I am married to you." 07:15 So He talks of it as a marriage relationship. 07:18 It's similar in the New Testament, 07:20 in Romans 7:4, 07:21 "Ye also are become dead 07:23 to the law by the body of Christ, 07:25 that ye should be married to another," 07:28 meaning to Christ. 07:31 Now, I don't know what you know about 07:32 the marriage relationship, because all of us 07:35 are in different positions there. 07:36 But the only meaning for one that I know of, 07:39 is where we have such a beautiful relationship, 07:43 that we love to spend time together. 07:46 It's the only satisfactory one, 07:49 and that's the only satisfactory one with Christ. 07:54 He therefore says in Revelation 2:4, 07:59 "I have somewhat against you, 08:01 because you have left your first love." 08:05 Now I am glad to say that I am confident, 08:07 that has not happened with my wife. 08:11 But I would be very, very unhappy, 08:14 if I knew that that had happened. 08:16 And that's what happens to many marriages, 08:19 and why eventually, they are dissolved. 08:22 It's because they have not spend time enough together 08:26 to keep that marriage relationship of love alive. 08:30 And that's why the Lord said to them 08:32 in Chapter 3 of Revelation and verses 15 and 16, 08:37 "Thou art neither cold nor hot. 08:40 And because you are neither cold nor hot, 08:42 I will spue you out of my mouth." 08:44 That's another way of saying, your failure, 08:48 to really love me with warm affection makes me sick. 08:54 And I know that they would make us sick, 08:56 if that was our experience with our spouse. 09:00 And that's why He says in another place, 09:03 that He is jealous. 09:05 Just imagine, Almighty God, jealous in relationship to us. 09:12 Why? 09:14 Because we are not showing enough interest in Him, 09:18 as compared with other people 09:20 and other things, that we enjoy doing. 09:24 In a beautiful book, The Desire of Ages, 09:28 the writer, one of my favorite authors, 09:30 puts it so well in a couple of paragraphs, 09:32 I would like to read them to you. 09:35 She says this, "It is not necessary for us 09:38 deliberately to choose the service 09:40 of the kingdom of darkness, 09:43 in order for us to come under its dominion. 09:47 We have only to neglect to ally ourselves, 09:50 with the kingdom of light." 09:51 In other words to spend time with God. 09:54 He goes on to say, 09:55 "The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ 10:00 in the heart through faith in His righteousness. 10:03 Unless we become vitally connected with God, 10:05 we can never resist." 10:08 And finally, "Without a vital connection with God, 10:11 through the surrender of ourselves to Him 10:13 moment by moment, we shall be overcome." 10:18 So that puts it very, very plainly 10:20 and very, very straight, 10:22 but it's essential we understand that. 10:26 He wants us to keep that connection, 10:29 to keep our hand in His, our ears tuned to His voice, 10:33 because we love to commune with Him. 10:38 The greatest compliment we can pay a person, 10:41 do you know what that is? 10:43 It's to choose to spend time with him. 10:46 If we choose to spend time with him, 10:48 we are telling them, 10:49 you are a person worth my time and my attention. 10:56 I value you. 10:58 And when we spend our days doing our own thing, 11:01 whether it be our work, our sports, our friends 11:05 or the whole combination and spend no time with God, 11:10 what we're really saying is, 11:12 "I don't think you are worth spending time with." 11:15 And that my friend is the greatest blasphemy. 11:23 What we're saying is not so much that I don't believe, 11:30 but saying you are not worthy of my attention. 11:35 Now, let me ask you the question again. 11:39 Have you blasphemed Jesus Christ this week? 11:43 It's a solemn question, isn't it? 11:45 When we see it that way. I hope you haven't. 11:49 But in our busy program 11:51 and the devil makes sure that he is getting faster 11:53 and faster every year, 11:56 it's so easy to have time with God crowded out. 12:00 I have found for myself, the only way to make sure that 12:03 that does not happen is for me, 12:06 right at the beginning of the day, 12:08 to spend the quiet time with Him. 12:11 If I do that, then it's easier 12:15 to keep Him in my mind later on in the day. 12:18 But if I allow that to be crowed out then, 12:20 I found that the devil brings this and that 12:23 and the other thing in, so that in the end, 12:25 I come to the end of the day very tired 12:30 and it is not been done. 12:33 So spend time with Jesus. 12:38 It's our greatest need. 12:40 He intents it to be our greatest joy, 12:44 and the beautiful thing about it is 12:46 that spending time with Jesus 12:48 has a transforming effect upon our whole lives. 12:51 It beautifies them. 12:53 I will never forget when I was a student in college 12:55 back in Britain many years ago. 12:58 A very dignified gentleman came to our campus 13:03 and it just so happened that it was summer time 13:05 and I worked on the college farm, 13:07 during the summer to earn 13:08 some money towards the next school year. 13:11 And we didn't have time to change during lunch time, 13:14 so we came in our dirty clothes. 13:17 Now at that college, we were assigned to certain tables. 13:21 We did not just go through the cafeteria 13:23 and sit where we liked. 13:25 And I was horrified, when I discovered 13:27 that this important gentleman 13:28 was going to be on the same table as I was. 13:31 I just felt so unprepared to be in that situation. 13:37 But I've never met him before. 13:39 And when I did 13:41 and we sat at the table together, everything changed. 13:45 Somehow or another, he had such a gracious way with him, 13:48 that he not only made me feel at ease, 13:51 but he increased my sense of self-worth. 13:54 And he made me aspire to greater things. 13:58 Now if a simple human being can do that, 14:02 then how much more can the presence of our God 14:06 in our lives do that to us. 14:09 There's no question. 14:11 It must be very, very powerful. 14:14 Now I read in Luke 6:12. 14:21 "Jesus went out into a mountain to pray, 14:24 and continued all night in prayer to God." 14:29 Think about that for a moment. 14:31 Our perfect savior, who never yielded to a wrong thought, 14:37 let alone did a wrong act, 14:39 so much needed the presence of His father in His life 14:43 that He would spend all night with Him in prayer, 14:46 in order to have the strength 14:47 He needed for the next day's tasks. 14:52 And then I thought to myself, 14:53 when that first really impacted me, 14:58 how much time have I spend in prayer to God? 15:03 Most of us would wonder, well what on earth 15:05 could you say praying all night? 15:08 But Jesus not only had plenty to talk to God about, 15:13 He wanted all that time, and He needed all that time. 15:18 And how much do you and I 15:20 need real time with God in prayer? 15:23 There is no possible substitute, 15:26 for spending time with God. 15:29 Furthermore, 15:32 it is deepen by our understanding of each other. 15:36 That's why it is essential to listen. 15:39 You know, I have noticed that most of our prayer life 15:43 is like a one way telephone conversation. 15:47 We talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, 15:48 and we are finished we say amen. 15:51 And if you like, down goes the telephone. 15:55 But God wants to talk to us. How does He do that? 15:59 He talks to us in His word. 16:02 And we have to be willing to spend time, 16:04 listening to what God has to say in His word. 16:11 And one of the best ways of doing that 16:14 is having read it, to meditate upon it, 16:17 so that it has the time too sink in. 16:20 Because I don't know, 16:22 if you'll like me, but I suspect you are. 16:25 It's possible to read a page of something, 16:27 and at the end of it, you haven't got any idea, 16:29 what you read, even though 16:31 you read every word and every line, 16:33 because our mind can be so easily 16:35 be distracted to other things. 16:38 If we are going to listen to God, 16:40 we must give real attention to it, 16:43 and think about what He has said. 16:46 And then it becomes absorbed into our being. 16:49 Wishing has never built houses, 16:53 or painted pictures or dug gardens, has it? 16:57 It's when we actually do it, that it happens. 17:02 And it will not cultivate 17:03 our marriage relationship with Christ. 17:06 Many people say, "Oh, I would love to or I wish to", 17:11 but they don't give it the time or give Him the attention. 17:16 You know, I happened to know a couple, 17:18 where there's been a real problem that way, 17:21 because her big plea is, "listen to me", 17:28 but she will start to talk to him, 17:29 and he will walk out of the room. 17:31 What does that do to a relationship? 17:33 It's destructive to a relationship. 17:36 So when we read the Bible, 17:37 or when we have talked to God in prayer, 17:41 we must stop and listen to what He has to say. 17:45 And some of our greatest blessings will come. 17:50 And so I appeal to those, 17:52 who have neglected to spend real time with God, 17:56 with Jesus each day; 17:58 don't treat your invitation to a personal time with Jesus, 18:03 with indifference or neglect. 18:06 That's blasphemy. 18:09 It's like putting a millstone around your neck, 18:12 and then trying to swim. 18:13 It's impossible. 18:15 Rather let's help ourselves, by ensuring 18:21 that our union with Christ is growing stronger, 18:24 by spending real time with Him. 18:27 Cultivate it. Give it time and attention. 18:33 Be with Him, in the quiet. 18:35 Pour out your soul to Him in prayer. 18:39 You know, one Christian writer has said, 18:41 not to pray weak prayers, and weak prayers are prayers, 18:45 where there is no vital connection with Him, 18:48 and where our own innermost feelings 18:50 are not being expressed. 18:54 Be with Him, in the quiet. 18:56 Be away from all the distractions. 19:01 And listen carefully to Him from His word, 19:06 what He has to say. 19:08 You know, the Bible tells us about a man 19:10 by the name of Enoch. 19:12 In Genesis 5:24, it says this, 19:17 "And Enoch walked with God: 19:20 and he was not, for God took him." 19:24 You know, to me that is a beautiful saying. 19:26 What is it saying here? 19:28 His walk with God got closer 19:29 and closer and closer through time, 19:32 until in the end God said, 19:35 "I can't leave him there any longer. 19:38 I must take him home with me." 19:40 Isn't that beautiful? 19:41 And that's what He wants, 19:42 of course, to do with all of us eventually. 19:44 And Jesus has promised to come back for those, 19:47 who look for Him, 19:49 who really want to be with Him and spend time with Him. 19:53 He placed, Enoch did, 19:54 the emphasis where it ought to be. 19:57 And the result was what? Living eternally with God. 20:04 And so I ask this question, what is most important? 20:08 No matter what one may say to the contrary, 20:12 what matters most to me, or to you 20:16 is what you spend your time with. 20:19 So, if we spend our time with God, 20:22 whenever we can, we are saying, 20:25 He has top priority, 20:27 but if it's even working for Him, 20:30 but not spending time with Him, then we are really saying, 20:33 "Well I enjoy doing the other things, 20:35 but I don't really enjoy first spending time with You." 20:40 And Jesus pointed this out, in a little story. 20:43 Two very close friends of His were Mary and Martha. 20:47 They were sisters. 20:48 He often spent time in their home. 20:51 On one occasion, 20:54 Martha was busy working in the kitchen, 20:56 preparing a meal, for Jesus and dallas for the disciples. 21:01 And she was getting a little behind probably. 21:03 And so, she came in, and there was Mary, 21:07 sitting at Jesus' feet. 21:09 And she said to Jesus, 21:13 "Tell Mary to come and help me." 21:17 And Jesus smiled as He looked at her, 21:19 and He said, "Martha, Martha. 21:21 You are troubled about many things, 21:23 but Mary has chosen the better part." 21:27 And what was that better part? 21:29 To sit at the feet of Jesus, commune with Him, 21:33 listen to Him and grow inner love for Him. 21:37 And that's what He wants for us. 21:41 If we spend time, with everything 21:44 and everyone else but with Him, 21:49 we are being unfaithful to our marriage relationship, 21:52 just as we would be to our wife or husband. 21:56 If we pay only lip service, 21:58 in the time we spend with God, it is in fact blasphemy. 22:04 When I first saw it that way, 22:06 I shredded about what that may be saying, 22:10 about my personal preference, 22:13 so far as spending time with God is concerned. 22:17 History tells us that in the testing time, 22:21 those who fail to spend time with Him now, 22:25 will be among the deliberate blasphemers then. 22:28 And that's the last thing I want it to happen to me. 22:32 You know the stories told in the Bible, 22:34 of the man by the name of Daniel. 22:37 Daniel was taken as a young slave to Babylon. 22:41 There he was taught in all the wisdom of the Chaldeans 22:44 and I'm sure they tried to persuade him, 22:46 to follow their way of life. 22:49 But he chose not to. 22:51 He chose instead, to spend time with his God. 22:55 And I read in the Bible, that three times everyday, 23:02 he knelt and spent time with God in prayer. 23:07 And if you know anything about his story, 23:10 you'll remember, perhaps you heard it 23:12 as a little child in Sunday school 23:15 or Sabbath school, of how Daniel, 23:18 because of his faithfulness, was thrown into the lions' den. 23:21 It doesn't say anything there about him trembling with fear. 23:26 The monarch who was mistakenly dragged 23:28 into making the terrible mistake 23:30 of condemning him to the lions' den, he trembled. 23:36 But when the next morning, he came back, 23:40 and he asked Daniel, 'Daniel, are you all right?' 23:43 And Daniel could say, 'My God has sent His angels, 23:47 and has shut the lions' mouths. 23:50 He knew what it was, 23:52 to have such a relationship with God 23:55 that he had nothing to fear, 23:58 nothing to fear. 24:02 Many year ago now, it occurred to me, 24:06 that if I really trusted God, 24:09 then I would be able to say without fear to Him, 24:13 'Lord you bring me whatever experience 24:15 You see that I need, in order that I might be 24:17 a growing Christian in relationship with You.' 24:21 But then I thought, but He could do 24:24 some pretty terrible things, what if. 24:29 And I was filled with fear. 24:31 And then I realized that I did not really trust Him, 24:35 because if I knew that He only wanted the best for me, 24:37 and that He loved me, better that I love myself, 24:40 I wouldn't have anything to fear. 24:44 The next two weeks, I didn't get very much sleep at night. 24:49 And I had no peace of mind as I battled over these things. 24:52 Naturally Satan didn't want me, to be willing to give him that. 24:58 But finally, I had to come to the point, 25:02 because I didn't want to be separated from Jesus, 25:06 to get on my knees and say to Him, 25:10 'Lord, You do what You will. 25:15 I choose to trust You.' 25:17 I must confess that at that point in time, 25:21 I couldn't have been, more wet with perspiration, 25:25 that if I had been in a sauna. 25:28 But I made the commitment. I made that decision. 25:32 And once that was made, 25:34 I had peace of mind and a much greater joy, 25:38 with my Lord Jesus Christ. 25:41 You see He knows, what's He's doing. 25:43 Unfortunately, Denis Uffindell doesn't 25:46 and I suspect that much of the time, 25:48 you don't either. 25:50 But He says, not only is all power given unto me, 25:54 but He is all wise, He never makes mistakes. 25:59 So if He governs my life, and I let Him, 26:03 because I have learnt to trust Him, 26:07 then I can have the peace that He spoke about, 26:09 the peace that passes all understanding. 26:12 And the joy, that no one can take away. 26:17 Would you like that joy? 26:19 Would you like that peace 26:21 in this world of turmoil and pain? 26:24 I want to assure you, that you can have it. 26:28 Jesus said 'My peace, I give unto you.' 26:33 We can have it, 26:34 if we will put out our hands by faith 26:37 and take it and claim it for ourselves. 26:41 But the only way, we'll ever do that 26:43 is if we spent so much time with Him. 26:45 We've learnt to trust Him, with all our hearts. 26:51 If that's you choice, will you pray with me right now? 26:56 Dear Lord, we give our hearts to You. 27:01 We choose to spend the time with you 27:03 that is necessary to have 27:05 a true marriage relationship with You. 27:08 And we claim Your promise, 27:11 to guide and direct and overrule in our lives, 27:14 for Your glory and our joy. 27:18 And we thank You for doing so, 27:22 in Jesus' name. 27:25 Now my friend, 27:28 when you get up from this program 27:30 and go your way, how are you going 27:32 to plan you day as a Christian? 27:36 Is Jesus going to have first place 27:37 in your time and in your heart? 27:42 I trust so, because that's what 27:45 He wants to have more than anything else. 27:49 And that's the only way 27:52 that you will have aboard the joy and the peace, 27:56 that can never depart from you. |
Revised 2015-05-11