Tag: judgment

  • God’s Wrath & Our Unrighteousness

    “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also…  I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

    Paul, to the saints (believers, mostly former pagans now Christians) in Rome.

    God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

    Romans 1:

    18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

    19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

    21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

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    Are you an unrighteous fool?

    Paul calls those of false religions, ‘fools.’ They worship cows and cats, ancestors departed and places on earth destined to destruction. They seek bearded sages or force upon the downtrodden ideology of glorious conquest.

    Consider the glory of the LORD, the heavens and the earth. NO big bang nor pain-stakingly slow sequence of unlikely perfect events could have created the earth upon which we walk or this miraculously intricate body which walks upon it.

    The vastness and perfection of the heavens is immeasurably beyond the comprehension of created man (adam).

    Think about those who are unrighteous. Think about the sins these inflict on you. Consider their sins against many, these sins of the ungodly, who will be called to account at the Judgment seat by the LORD who they refuse to worship. Paul describes these. You can likely put many faces to Paul’s long descriptive list of unrighteousness.

    28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

    29 They were filled with

    • all manner of unrighteousness,
    • evil, covetousness, malice.
    • They are full of envy,
    • murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
    • They are gossips, [30] slanderers,
    • haters of God,
    • insolent, haughty, boastful,
    • inventors of evil,
    • disobedient to parents,
    • [31} foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

    32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

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    We see the faces of those who deserve God’s wrath. In all fairness, when will the LORD finally destroy the evil of the unrighteous?

    How long, O Lord, until Your Holy wrath consumes the evil which plagues us?

    A fair question. How long will God contend with their evil? … their evil … evil?

    Have I forgotten anything I should ask of God?

    To be continued…

    Third ‘Easter‘ message in Lenten Series, 2016
  • He has put eternity in their hearts

    He has put eternity in their hearts

    It is no longer a question of God: God IS – and we all know it. Our question and quest for knowledge and power over our own lives and circumstances only asks: will I bow down to the eternal God?

    We have knowledge, near complete and inexhaustible. We have Bibles we refuse to read and evidence to which we turn our backs.

    God created. God judges. God punishes. God redeems. God forgives. God loves.

    And God has sent a Savior and Redeemer to the world in the Person of Christ Jesus.

    The decision is in the heart and response of each created being – each man; each woman.

    • Will you bow down to God the Father, Eternal Creator of all the world and all mankind?
    • Will you receive the love and sacrifice of God the Son in Christ Jesus; who IS and who was and who will return to judge your soul?
    • Will you open your heart of stone to God the Holy Spirit, turning from your sin and following the love of Christ’s example?

    God has put eternity in your heart. The world knows eternity and God, yet cannot accept the limits of each breath and heartbeat to sustain our soul, our mind, our failing flesh and crumbling bones.

    Loved ones

    gasp for breath,

    wait for the strength

    of another heartbeat,

    search faulty thoughts for

    what was once recalled,

    walk tenderly on bonesold hand

    once thought sturdy

    and measure days

    till the grave

    by mem’ries

    and dreams of our past.

    LORD GOD,

    will I finally remember

    old man in beret at graveeternity of my soul,

    saved for your love

    by your love,

    saved from just punishment

    for my many sins,

    by your own Sacrifice

    of Christ Jesus –

    will I remember

    the eternity you have placed

    in my heart

    before the end of the daysiv

    you have created

    for this failing flesh?

    God test us, that we may see that the end of our earthly days will be no different than animals, that in the end our ashes return to ashes and our dust to dust.

    Yet only man has a soul made in the Image of God!

    And only Christ Jesus lived as a sinless man in the Image of the sinless God of eternity.

    By the sacrifice of Jesus only – by the blood of Christ only – by the love and grace of God only do we yet have the choice for repentance from our sins and life eternal for our soul – life eternal without blame in the Presence of the love of God our heavenly Father; Christ Jesus who loved us even to the death and IS eternal for us in the resurrection; of the Holy Spirit who would even now break through the hardness of our heart toward the loving Father and bring our prodigal soul home forever.

    You may ask in these passing days of passing seasons, ‘Where have I heard that He has put eternity in my heart?’ How do I know that my soul lives life once and will sleep until the judgment?

    It is written in God’s Holy Bible. Have you read it?

    Do you read (in these passing seasons of your flesh) God’s intention and purpose for your remaining measured days?

    Ecclesiastes 3

    NKJV

    To everything there is a season,
    A time for every purpose under heaven:
    2 A time to be born,
    And a time to die…

    9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

    11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

    12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

    14 I know that whatever God does,
    It shall be forever.
    Nothing can be added to it,
    And nothing taken from it.
    God does it, that men should fear before Him.
    15 That which is has already been,
    And what is to be has already been;
    And God requires an account of what is past…

    17 I said in my heart,

    “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
    For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

    18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” 19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

    20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

    Christ Jesus said:

    I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

    John 12:46

    Do you yet live in the darkness of your sin? Or does your soul embrace the light of life in Christ Jesus?

     

    To everything there is a season

    A time to every purpose under heaven.

    A time for repentance

    Or a time of judgment,

    A time of sin

    Or a time of grace,

    A time of darkness eternal

    Or a time of light.

    I pray for your heart and soul to embrace the love and grace of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

    Amen.

  • Wisdom Cries Out

    Wisdom Cries Out

    Proverbs 8: NKJV Does not wisdom cry out,
    And understanding lift up her voice?
    2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,
    Beside the way, where the paths meet.
    3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
    At the entrance of the doors:

    4 “To you, O men, I call,
    And my voice is to the sons of men.
    5 O you simple ones, understand prudence,
    And you fools, be of an understanding heart.

    Wisdom cries out! She calls out from the mountaintop. She echos the Truth of the Almighty from Mount Gerizim and Mount Moriah, from Mount Sinai and the Mount of Olives.

    John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

    From the echo of the Voice of Truth, through unclean lips of the Prophet; from the highest mountain of the Law to the lowest manger of the cattle and fields of sheep: Truth is born as a Son of Man and speaks softly to those who will hear. You without deafening distraction hear what the Truth of wisdom would say to your soul.

    Proverbs 8:6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
    And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
    7 For my mouth will speak truth;
    Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
    8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
    Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

    Yet we will not sit in silence before the Very Voice of wisdom and hear what Christ Jesus would instruct to our wayward and crooked paths. (Do YOU read His gospel truth before you begin your way in this day?)

    Hebrews 1: God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…

     

    Proverbs 9:Wisdom has built her house,
    She has hewn out her seven pillars;
    2 She has slaughtered her meat,
    She has mixed her wine,
    She has also furnished her table.
    3 She has sent out her maidens,
    She cries out from the highest places of the city,
    4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

    You with ears to hear, hear the Voice of Truth.

    Or will you yet hear the distraction of the devil, the beguiler of your soul by the lies of his snare?

    Luke 22:“For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

    And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

     

    Matthew 13:Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way…

    …at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

    If Satan had asked to sift the soul of Simon Peter as chaff, will the snarer of souls not also seek to turn you from the wisdom of Truth?

    Do YOU read your Bible?

    Do YOU hear the invitation of Christ Jesus (with ears to hear) and do you continue with Jesus as your Lord, even in the trials of this life of distraction?

    OR have you missed the invitation of the Banquet; for Wisdom will not beg your repentance and obedience.

    Proverbs 9: 6 Forsake foolishness and live,
    And go in the way of understanding.

    7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
    And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
    8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
    Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
    9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

    10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

    Jesus IS and will return. He will judge all sin and unrighteousness with wisdom and truth. He will gather the chaff; neither will those who only claim Him while wandering the paths of wickedness be seated at the Table of His mercy and love.

    Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

    The persistent fool will not receive the cleansed robe of His righteousness.

     Matthew 22:

    The Parable of the Wedding Feast

    And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:

    2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

    4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’

    5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business…

    8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy…

    11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

    14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

    Though wisdom and Truth have called sinners and fools to the feast, only the humble and repentant will receive the Lord’s robe of righteousness.

    The King, in His mercy, has demonstrated much patience; that you might now accept His invitation to come among the guests.

    Revelation 19: 

    5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both[c] small and great!”

    6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

    9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

     

    12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

     

    He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

    KING OF KINGS AND
    LORD OF LORDS.

    You with ears to hear, hear; for our Lord will not always contend with the dust of the earth and the chaff of the harvest.

     

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