Sin and the simplicity of the Gospel

Remember, it will not be the "act" of sin God will punish come final judgement. Rather, every soul that rejects His only begotten Son's perfect sacrifice & atonement will be cast away! 

Do we really realize the price Christ, the Messiah paid when He endured His Father's wrath? So many want to chalk it up to His physical sufferings. Its so much DEEPER THAN THIS! This was the 1st ever separation He had from His Father... Sin separates us from God. 

JESUS BORE OUR SIN! EVERY BIT OF IT! Everything you and I would ever do to break God's heart and His law. 

Even as much as I believe, my tiny human mind cannot fully comprehend that magnitude! People say, "religion is complicated. It's dull and boring." Christ didn't come to give you a bunch of hoops to jump through. He came to give you LIFE! HE CAME TO SET US FREE! He came to give us HOPE so that we CAN know the Father and His impeccable LOVE for us, His creation. 

Truth is, we sin. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." How dare we claim to be "good", when there is NONE GOOD BUT JEHOVAH! 

I know that's pretty abstruse but that's the simplicity of the Gospel Truth! We need not complicate the only thing that saves a soul from eternal damnation!

Do you believe in God?

Have you ever been asked, "Do you believe in God"? Most of us have. What does this question mean to you? Is it His existence? 

IS HE REAL ENOUGH TO YOU TO OBEY HIM?

If you say you DO believe in God, is there PROOF in your life? Do you believe in Christ as you do in God? Is He seen in your lifestyle or do you look and act the same as those who don't? 

It's not enough to simply "believe" if there's NO evidence of our OBEDIENCE to Him.

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19

If demons believe and tremble (which is to shudder in fear) yet serve Satan, how are we as humans any different? Is not our lives proof as to whom we serve?

Rewards of Rebellion



Let's take a deep dive into rebellion according to the Word of God. What is it and how does God view it. Bottom line, is it worth rebelling against our creator?

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry..."

1 Samuel 15:23

Let's look at a few simple words here. 

Rebellion 

bitter, most rebellion,

From marah; bitterness, i.e. (figuratively) rebellion; concretely, bitter, or rebellious -- bitter, (most) rebel(-lion, -lious).

see HEBREW marah

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Opposition to one in authority or dominance

Merriam Webster

We can see rebellion stems from bitterness and in this context, refuses God as the ultimate authority. Bitterness can result in a hard heart. It is also one of the hardest things to get rid of once its taken root in the heart. God compares it to witchcraft. 

Witchcraft 

pharmakeia: the use of medicine, drugs or spells

magic, sorcery, enchantment.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Does not witchcraft source its power from Satan himself, who is the utmost opposition to God? Following this, He compares stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. Let's look at these words and their definitions as well.

Stubbornness 

Away, backsliding, rebellious, revolting, slide back, stubborn, withdrew

A primitive root; to turn away, i.e. (morally) be refractory -- X away, backsliding, rebellious, revolter(-ing), slide back, stubborn, withdrew.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance 

Idolatry 

Aven: trouble, sorrow, wickedness

affliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourner, naught,

From an unused root perhaps meaning properly, to pant (hence, to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble. Vanity, wickedness; specifically an idol -- affliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourners(-ing), naught, sorrow, unjust, unrighteous, vain,vanity, wicked(-ness). Compare 'ayin.

see HEBREW 'ayin

Wow, what a combination there. Rebellion is quite a slap in the face to God! Who are we, as His creations, to usurp Him or His authority? It is quite an offense to Him, its deep! Is there any wonder why He detests such things?

If we claim to be his people, saved, redeemed and set free from sin by His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, how can we honestly refuse to honor, listen and obey? In all seriousness, this isn't a matter He takes lightly. As a matter of fact, the rest of the verse we're looking at reveals the deep consequences. 

"...Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice." 1 Samuel 15:23-24

Saul placed his desire to please the people rather than obeying the Word of the Lord. It not only cost him his position in leadership and authority but also his relationship with God! Wow! His rewards for this rebellion resulted in ruin! 

Truth is there are many more accounts in Scripture of rebellion and its rewards. After all, it's a byproduct of our sin nature. May we carefully and prayerfully consider this incredibly important account in scripture as well as the thought provoking words of Tozer. Can you see the dangers in the rewards of rebellion both physically and spiritually?

Let God be God

One night my kids were antagonizing each other. Lol, yeap, they're normal! 

Anyway, my daughter kept coming to me with, "Mom, he's doing it again. Please make him stop!" The only problem is, each time she came and told me something as I would begin to say something, she would cut me off and attempt to correct her little brother herself. 

After several times, I stopped my daughter and said, "If you want me to correct him, let me be the Mom." After a bewildered stare I told her, "it doesn't do any good to come to me if you were going to keep trying to handle it on your own."

Bam! As I though about this a lil while ago, The Lord brought this scene to my memory again. Kinda like a condensed mental replay of last night. He gently whispered to me, "When you take things into your own hands, you are saying "I can do better than you" only to repeat and repeat. When you're ready to let Me step in, simply let go and trust Me."

Ok, how often are we all guilty of this SAME thing!?! Eventually my daughter let me be the Mom without her added two-cents and there was peace once again. If you've been acting like this, and taking things into your own hands, will you let God be God and the Loving Father He is by taking a step back and granting Him full control? 

He's able where we are not and sees not just one side but the whole situation. Will you let go and let God? 

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Changes

Life is full of changes...

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Genesis 8:22

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Through all life's seasons, the Creator of it all remains the same! He is faithful and true in all He says and does. If you're going through a heap of change are you clinging to the One who never does?

Corrupt Character in the Church

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"But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

1 Corinthians 5:11-13

To the average person and even to some believers this can sound like a harsh un-christ-like directive. Truth is, yes we are to minister to these, Jesus ate with the like after all. Yet there's a difference between having encounters and embracing such in close friendship. We are warned that the company we keep can be contagiously dangerous for our character and morals or manners which impacts our walk with Christ immensely!

Notice within the first sentence he says, "if any man be a brother"? This is someone within the church. Discernment is key. Don't dismiss it by a so-called commonality. 

"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." 1 Corinthians 15:33

Are we heeding these warnings? Carefully listening to the Holy Spirit's leading?

Private Thoughts?

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Private thoughts? There is nothing private or hidden in the sight of God.

"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Genesis 6:5

"For I know their works and their thoughts..." Isaiah 66:18

"And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them." Ezekiel 11:5

Remember, there is nothing hidden from Him. Nothing! There's no such thing as keeping any kind of secret for any length of time from the Almighty God.

Even that which we think will be kept from others, is eventually made known.

Jesus said, "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad." Luke 8:17

Again He says, "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known." Luke 12:2

May we keep these truths in the forefront of our minds. What we think about, often produces action, whether to the good or to the bad. Are you guarding your heart and your mind?

I Will Be With Thee

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One..." Isaiah 43:2-3

As I read this chapter and reread this passage a few times today. I told the Lord, I don't want to be able to just quote these words but rather my life declare PROOF it's true. He gently whispered "It does because I am with you always."

Many times the enemy tries to plant seeds of doubt within us in attempts to detour our focus onto self or the waters, storms and fires. Whatever the doubt seeds may be, whether our love for the Lord, our walk with the King or our service unto Him. The Father by His Holy Spirit supernaturally redirects us by adding to our faith and redirecting us to His Word. 

When He says, "I am with you." Do you trust and believe Him?

The struggle is real

"The struggle is real", a common phrase these days. Honestly, we all see it, we all experience it.

One day my son came up to me with a wrinkled sheet of paper. I asked what he was making. He says, "Oh, I'm trying to make a paper airplane." I asked him if he still had his instruction book. He thought a moment and said I think I do. I replied wouldn't it be easier to get it and know how to do it the right way? He said, ummm, no. I want to do it my way. 

Real life application: The longer we ignore instruction, the harder we will struggle. 

God in His infinite love has given us an instruction manual too... His Word!

He says in Psalm 38:8 "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

 Key question is: Will we struggle in our own way or trust Him, believe Him, and obey His instructions?

Lips zipped! The Lord is our defense!

If I had a nickel for every false accusation made against me, I'd be rich! I know I'm not alone in these trials & experiences. It's likely many of you can say the same.

So could Jesus! While He was being tried by the Sanhedrin, they found their own "witnesses" against Him.

"For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together." Mark 14:56

Not only did they conjure up their own stories, sprinkled with a pinch of truth, their stories did not even match!

What a frustrating situation, right? Our flesh wants to immediately flap our lips in defense! How quickly we can be sucked in to the false witness whirlwind.

What did Jesus do?
"But he held his peace, and answered nothing..." (vs. 61)

He did nothing! As hard as it can be, we must do the same! Just as Jesus trusted the Father with the ultimate purpose of it all, so must we!

Every enemy attack that approached Jesus was met with the Word of God. If we don't trust His Word, we not only loose hope, but we loose our strength which results in our trusting Him to be easily broken.

Here's a bit of encouragement from His Word to cling to during these trying times.

"For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." Deuteronomy 20:4

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Psalm 34:19

"Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee." Proverbs 20:22

There are many other accounts in the Scriptures of others who have endured these things too, yet there are even more promises to keep our focus on the Redeemer rather than the evil at hand. Keep the faith! God will fight and He wins, especially when we stay out of His way and keep our lips zipped!

If you're going through this, will you be still and know that He is God? Will you trust His defense over your limited human abilities?

Are you Trusting The "Foolishness" of God?

"And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words." Genesis 35:5-8

The Lord God gave Joseph a forewarning of what was to come here. This dream would eventually be a blessing, but the trials & rebuke he would endure & receive would require much trust & patience in the Almighty Living God. Though Joseph's brothers didn't understand the dream completely, it drove them more into hatred and inevitably played right into God's plan for His beloved!

Noah was also warned of what was to come and though he too shared of impending doom, the people listened not and death became of them.
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Hebrews 11:7

What the Lord gives us, in whatever form it may be, must not be taken lightly! Though not often understood by those around us, and sometimes even ourselves, we must be diligent in obedience regardless of the opposition that arises toward us!

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

The Lord loves us enough to speak...  are we listening, heeding and sharing???