Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Stop Doing it Man's Way
Stop making sinful people feel good about themselves and worthy of forgiveness by forgiving before they are sorry. Enabling others in their sin is sin!
Forgiveness and Confession are Two Sides of the Same Coin
Forgiveness is for the purpose of reconciling the relationship. In order for reconciliation there must be confession of wrong by the one who offended. Both elements must be present. However that does not mean that just because the relationship cannot be reconciled we hold any grudges. It does mean that if someone continually offends and will not stop we must remove ourselves. Forgiveness is in the heart, but it cannot be passed to one who does not want to change their behavior.
Many people do not understand that God had a reason for both confession and forgiveness to be two sides of the same coin. We cannot have one without the other. To forgive prematurely is to enable, enhance and encourage bad behavior.
God's way brings people to a sense of shame over their offenses. When we prematurely forgive without confession of wrong we solidify the sin in that person's heart.
Pride remains in the one who will not admit their offense, God must deal with that and so should we. We can see how our culture has fostered an entitlement mentality toward forgiveness as fewer and fewer people repent and confess. All the guilt has been removed by premature forgiveness. We take away the opportunity for someone to be guilt free through confession by "letting them off the hook" too soon, before they are ashamed of themselves.
Our forgiveness is not just for us, its for them too when they legitimately confess. We harm others by not requiring confession and we disobey God when we forgive before confession.
Many people do not understand that God had a reason for both confession and forgiveness to be two sides of the same coin. We cannot have one without the other. To forgive prematurely is to enable, enhance and encourage bad behavior.
God's way brings people to a sense of shame over their offenses. When we prematurely forgive without confession of wrong we solidify the sin in that person's heart.
Pride remains in the one who will not admit their offense, God must deal with that and so should we. We can see how our culture has fostered an entitlement mentality toward forgiveness as fewer and fewer people repent and confess. All the guilt has been removed by premature forgiveness. We take away the opportunity for someone to be guilt free through confession by "letting them off the hook" too soon, before they are ashamed of themselves.
Our forgiveness is not just for us, its for them too when they legitimately confess. We harm others by not requiring confession and we disobey God when we forgive before confession.
Giddy and Happy to their Own Destruction
The evil people who are in control of our government and even the churches now are giddy and happy as though nothing is wrong. They continue in their arrogance and self righteousness while in reality they are wallowing in filth and misery, seeming not to noticing or at least deliberately denying it to cover their shame.
If someone doesn't think we are under judgment all they have to do is look at more than 60 million missing babies that would have been our SS retirement source. Then there is the rise in teen suicide, the proliferation of divorce and remarriage, the angst of young people toward their parents, an invasion of illegals across our borders bringing drugs and mayhem into the culture. There is so much more its not possible to name it all here. Our culture is a mess and doesn't think so. The parents and grandparents are dishonored in the worst way and no one seems to notice that it is ugly. They think all this laziness, heartbreak and devastation is normal. They are no longer ashamed of themselves or anyone else.
Jeremiah 6:14-15 "…14 They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. 15 Were they ashamed of the abomination they committed? No, they were not at all ashamed. They did not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD."
Now is the time to repent and trust Christ. Without Christ those who are in rebellion will see further devastation, far worse than anyone can imagine. Judgment is here but not in full measure.
What is coming will catch the attention of those who have been lulled into a sense of false security. They will no longer be able to pretend all is well. Sadly by the time they see it all it will be too late, the church will have been raptured and they who rejected Christ will be turned over to be even further depraved.
If you think life is hard now, just wait until the Holy Spirit is taken out and no one will be heard by God.
Isaiah 1:15-16 "15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!…"
Yes, there will be a time when you will want God to save you but He will not because you rebelled and remained that way until you needed Him. In other words you never wanted Him except His protection at your beckon call. When we use God as a stop gap measure He is disgusted with us and will have nothing to do with us.
Matthew 15:8 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
If someone doesn't think we are under judgment all they have to do is look at more than 60 million missing babies that would have been our SS retirement source. Then there is the rise in teen suicide, the proliferation of divorce and remarriage, the angst of young people toward their parents, an invasion of illegals across our borders bringing drugs and mayhem into the culture. There is so much more its not possible to name it all here. Our culture is a mess and doesn't think so. The parents and grandparents are dishonored in the worst way and no one seems to notice that it is ugly. They think all this laziness, heartbreak and devastation is normal. They are no longer ashamed of themselves or anyone else.
Jeremiah 6:14-15 "…14 They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. 15 Were they ashamed of the abomination they committed? No, they were not at all ashamed. They did not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD."
Now is the time to repent and trust Christ. Without Christ those who are in rebellion will see further devastation, far worse than anyone can imagine. Judgment is here but not in full measure.
What is coming will catch the attention of those who have been lulled into a sense of false security. They will no longer be able to pretend all is well. Sadly by the time they see it all it will be too late, the church will have been raptured and they who rejected Christ will be turned over to be even further depraved.
If you think life is hard now, just wait until the Holy Spirit is taken out and no one will be heard by God.
Isaiah 1:15-16 "15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!…"
Yes, there will be a time when you will want God to save you but He will not because you rebelled and remained that way until you needed Him. In other words you never wanted Him except His protection at your beckon call. When we use God as a stop gap measure He is disgusted with us and will have nothing to do with us.
Matthew 15:8 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
Worship of Self or of God, Can't Do Both!
Even when a king honors God, as told of in the OT, if the people did not honor God the nation was doomed. There were a few kings of old who honored God but the people did not.
This is where we are in this country. So many people attend churches but do not love God. They want God's perks, safety, health and wealth but they don't want Him.
So many people in our country go to gatherings in churches to feel safe, have friends and be entertained, but have no desire for God Himself.
We know this by their reaction to correction according to the Bible and their show of embarrassment at the mention of the name of Christ.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
Saying you are a Christian and attending a gathering every week does not mean you are born again or that you love God. Many people see the gatherings as social clubs that give them comfort. They are not there to worship, but to generate good feelings for themselves.
Shame on the American church in this false worship that elevates self above God.
This is where we are in this country. So many people attend churches but do not love God. They want God's perks, safety, health and wealth but they don't want Him.
So many people in our country go to gatherings in churches to feel safe, have friends and be entertained, but have no desire for God Himself.
We know this by their reaction to correction according to the Bible and their show of embarrassment at the mention of the name of Christ.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
Saying you are a Christian and attending a gathering every week does not mean you are born again or that you love God. Many people see the gatherings as social clubs that give them comfort. They are not there to worship, but to generate good feelings for themselves.
Shame on the American church in this false worship that elevates self above God.
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