Sunday, September 15, 2019
Friday, September 13, 2019
They Were Radical and They Were Rejected Too
There are those who call us radical for speaking about Christ, constantly warning about the tribulation to come. They think we have just lost our minds and gone too far. Well, we are in very good company.
In order to convince anyone of the cure for sin we must first prove that they are sinful. We warn first of the penalty and then we give the solution that brings eternal life. All have sinned, all are on their way to hell. But the good news is that we have a choice to confess our sinfulness and trust Christ to be cleansed and covered in His blood, then we will go to heaven to dwell with Him forever.
Isaiah 20:2-4 "…2 the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot. 3 Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.…"
Our culture becomes agitated when we speak of Christ constantly. God told Isaiah to walk around naked as a demonstration of what was coming for Egypt and Cush.
Sometimes the Lord asks His prophets to do things that will not make sense to the unsaved world. Just as Noah obeyed God in building the ark, he was probably mocked, dismissed as crazy and rejected by everyone in the world.
Those people who rejected Noah were likely many of his relatives. They probably mocked and demeaned him until the rain came and the floods overpowered the world. the Bible does not tell us for sure if they mocked him but knowing human nature as we do it is likely that he endured contempt and mocking when no one would listen to him as he preached that 120 years.
Jeremiah 20:7-8 "7 You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long." JEREMIAH
Job 12:4
"I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock." JOB
"Psalm 22:7
All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:" DAVID
Ezekiel 3:14
So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me." EZEKIEL
2 Chronicles 36:16 "16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy." EZRA
Hosea, Job, Jeremiah, David, Isaiah and others, as well as Jesus Christ Himself were mocked by the world as they brought a very important message of salvation to those hearing. There is every reason to believe that Noah was also mocked even though the Bible does not say so.
AND, we can expect to be mocked also the more we obey Christ and declare His message to those around us.
Some may say this message is not encouraging, but it is because it brings comfort and purpose to those who are being maligned for their dedication to Christ.
This message might help those who are lost to become saved, it may cause believers to sense a strength pulsing through them when they realize that the prophets and Christ Himself endured the very same things we have endured in our walk with Christ.
Somehow it seems comforting to know that we are not alone, that we are not any stranger than anyone else who had dedicated their life to Christ. AND, we know the immense blessing and joy that is coming when all this mess is over and we are going to our eternal home.
We are the very temple of God if we are born again!
Ephesians 2
"1 And you ]were dead ]in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
In order to convince anyone of the cure for sin we must first prove that they are sinful. We warn first of the penalty and then we give the solution that brings eternal life. All have sinned, all are on their way to hell. But the good news is that we have a choice to confess our sinfulness and trust Christ to be cleansed and covered in His blood, then we will go to heaven to dwell with Him forever.
Isaiah 20:2-4 "…2 the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot. 3 Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.…"
Our culture becomes agitated when we speak of Christ constantly. God told Isaiah to walk around naked as a demonstration of what was coming for Egypt and Cush.
Sometimes the Lord asks His prophets to do things that will not make sense to the unsaved world. Just as Noah obeyed God in building the ark, he was probably mocked, dismissed as crazy and rejected by everyone in the world.
Those people who rejected Noah were likely many of his relatives. They probably mocked and demeaned him until the rain came and the floods overpowered the world. the Bible does not tell us for sure if they mocked him but knowing human nature as we do it is likely that he endured contempt and mocking when no one would listen to him as he preached that 120 years.
Jeremiah 20:7-8 "7 You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long." JEREMIAH
Job 12:4
"I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock." JOB
"Psalm 22:7
All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:" DAVID
Ezekiel 3:14
So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me." EZEKIEL
2 Chronicles 36:16 "16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy." EZRA
Hosea, Job, Jeremiah, David, Isaiah and others, as well as Jesus Christ Himself were mocked by the world as they brought a very important message of salvation to those hearing. There is every reason to believe that Noah was also mocked even though the Bible does not say so.
AND, we can expect to be mocked also the more we obey Christ and declare His message to those around us.
Some may say this message is not encouraging, but it is because it brings comfort and purpose to those who are being maligned for their dedication to Christ.
This message might help those who are lost to become saved, it may cause believers to sense a strength pulsing through them when they realize that the prophets and Christ Himself endured the very same things we have endured in our walk with Christ.
Somehow it seems comforting to know that we are not alone, that we are not any stranger than anyone else who had dedicated their life to Christ. AND, we know the immense blessing and joy that is coming when all this mess is over and we are going to our eternal home.
We are the very temple of God if we are born again!
Ephesians 2
"1 And you ]were dead ]in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
Sunday, September 8, 2019
The Modern Christian Lives a Lifestyle of Pleasure Rather Than for Christ
Most of the Christians I know are living a life of pleasure with a "God" word thrown in now and then to make them feel spiritual. When attempts are made to engage them in spiritual conversation about the Bible they become very uncomfortable while displaying arrogant attitudes of "don't tell me."
Those who are sold out to Christ love meeting another believer, they do not shy away from conversation about Him, even loving it !!!
Those who are sold out to Christ love meeting another believer, they do not shy away from conversation about Him, even loving it !!!
No Negativity Here, Only Hope for the Repentant
By the way, we are not negative we are just trying to help.
All those I know who are spending time warning people of these end times while exposing evil are not sad people. Just the opposite, we are full of joy and expectation as we wait for our Lord. We know the blessing now and to come for having trusted Jesus Christ. We love righteousness and goodness while at the same time hating evil.
Why do we hate evil? Because it destroys people in this life and for eternity.
The only people who would see our warnings as mean spirited are those who are fearful lacking faith. They only want to hear pleasant words because they cannot stand to hear the truth.
Isaiah 30:9-11 "…9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “No more visions,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth. Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions. 11 Get out of the way; turn off the road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”…"
The greatest joy comes when a lost sinner trusts Christ, is cleaned up and on their way to glory.
Isaiah 43:1 “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 “He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Those who have been born again, changed into a new creation by Christ do not fear the hardships of life, they embrace them as lessons and come through them straighter and stronger than they were before. Hallelujah!!!
All those I know who are spending time warning people of these end times while exposing evil are not sad people. Just the opposite, we are full of joy and expectation as we wait for our Lord. We know the blessing now and to come for having trusted Jesus Christ. We love righteousness and goodness while at the same time hating evil.
Why do we hate evil? Because it destroys people in this life and for eternity.
The only people who would see our warnings as mean spirited are those who are fearful lacking faith. They only want to hear pleasant words because they cannot stand to hear the truth.
Isaiah 30:9-11 "…9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “No more visions,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth. Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions. 11 Get out of the way; turn off the road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”…"
The greatest joy comes when a lost sinner trusts Christ, is cleaned up and on their way to glory.
Isaiah 43:1 “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 “He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Those who have been born again, changed into a new creation by Christ do not fear the hardships of life, they embrace them as lessons and come through them straighter and stronger than they were before. Hallelujah!!!
The Fool Denies God
Psalms 14:1
"The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good."
The fool says there is no God, not because he doesn't believe there is not God but because he refuses to acknowledge Him.
More disturbing than this is that many who say they are Christians say they believe in God while they proceed to negate most of what He commanded in His Word.
"The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good."
The fool says there is no God, not because he doesn't believe there is not God but because he refuses to acknowledge Him.
More disturbing than this is that many who say they are Christians say they believe in God while they proceed to negate most of what He commanded in His Word.
Were the Prophets Negative?
One might be wondering why the posts of born again believer seem so "negative" all the time. The warnings, the rebukes, the continual begging for repentance, its because the world is so wicked, the church is so messed up and the culture as a whole thinks bad things are good.
Folks its the times we are living in that motivate many of us to warn and plead with those who do not know Christ and those who say they do but live wickedly.
If we were standing in two feet of sewage because there was a flood and our houses were filling up with it we would not say silly things like "lets not talk about negative things, look at that green grass over there a mile away."
Instead we would probably get the shovel and recruit others to get theirs to get busy draining that filth from the house. We would warn others passing by; "don't come in here you will get filthy and even die from a sickness."
The positive messages would come after the filth is removed and the people are safe.
Luke 3:6-8 "…6 And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’” 7 Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.…"
Why do I speak of narcissism so much? Here's the answer, its all around us all the time. Yes there are good times too that we enjoy, but they cannot mask the smell of the evil that is all around us.
Have you ever smelled cat urine on a carpet, reached for the room freshner only to find out that now you smell the freshner and the filth all mixed together to make a worse smell. The freshner didn't take away the odor it merely mixed with it to make the foul smell more prominent.
Spending most of our time on happy things merely pretends to ignore the evil we see around us. We can bury our heads in the sand and refuse to see what is there, or we can see it, call it what it is and pray to receive the boldness to warn others who are walking into the sewer thinking its a sand box in which to play.
This culture cannot come out of the sewer until they admit how filthy they are without Christ.
There you have it, those who can see things for what they are do not become weaker, they become stronger as they deal with it Biblicly. If you love your family and friends you will tell the truth to help them come out of the sewer and into the arms of Jesus Christ.
Folks its the times we are living in that motivate many of us to warn and plead with those who do not know Christ and those who say they do but live wickedly.
If we were standing in two feet of sewage because there was a flood and our houses were filling up with it we would not say silly things like "lets not talk about negative things, look at that green grass over there a mile away."
Instead we would probably get the shovel and recruit others to get theirs to get busy draining that filth from the house. We would warn others passing by; "don't come in here you will get filthy and even die from a sickness."
The positive messages would come after the filth is removed and the people are safe.
Luke 3:6-8 "…6 And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’” 7 Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.…"
Why do I speak of narcissism so much? Here's the answer, its all around us all the time. Yes there are good times too that we enjoy, but they cannot mask the smell of the evil that is all around us.
Have you ever smelled cat urine on a carpet, reached for the room freshner only to find out that now you smell the freshner and the filth all mixed together to make a worse smell. The freshner didn't take away the odor it merely mixed with it to make the foul smell more prominent.
Spending most of our time on happy things merely pretends to ignore the evil we see around us. We can bury our heads in the sand and refuse to see what is there, or we can see it, call it what it is and pray to receive the boldness to warn others who are walking into the sewer thinking its a sand box in which to play.
This culture cannot come out of the sewer until they admit how filthy they are without Christ.
There you have it, those who can see things for what they are do not become weaker, they become stronger as they deal with it Biblicly. If you love your family and friends you will tell the truth to help them come out of the sewer and into the arms of Jesus Christ.
Anger and Contempt in these Last Days
Have you ever encountered or lived with someone who rages every time you bring up something that concerns you?
When you approach this person with a reasonable request but they turn it into an argument instead of a discussion, you are left wondering why this happened and what you did to cause it?
When we encounter this kind of anger in someone who refuses to hear anything they choose not to hear, they will shut you down before you have a chance to say what needs to be said and then act as though you were the one causing trouble. It is a tactic to blame you for having a concern, and excuse themselves for not wanting to address the concern.
We are encountering this more in these last days described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
"3 But realize this, that in the last days perilous (ragingly insane) times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
2 Timothy 4:2-4
"…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
Notice what God says in 2 Timothy 4? He tells us to keep on doing what we should, that is reproving, rebuking and encouraging in righteousness even though it will be met with hatred and anger. This takes the strength of the Holy Spirit!
Those who are seeking the Lord with all their heart do not become angry when someone wants to discuss something. The sad thing is that those who want to discuss a matter to resolve it will rarely be approached by anyone else to resolve something. People who are not interested in resolving things will avoid discussion all together except and unless they have a mentality to win over someone.
These people will not approach with kindness, they will do so to batter first to gain the upper hand. Their goal is not to resolve, it is to win over. Those who come to win over come to fight, without concern for what someone else might be thinking and going through in their life.
A young woman once approached me telling me she wanted to "fight it out", but I didn't even know what it was that she wanted to fight about. My response was that I wasn't interested in fighting anything out, I wanted to discuss reasonably, that means that each one tells their part and each one considers the concerns of the other. She was not interested in that so she just walked away. The fact that this woman was much younger than me and wanted to fight with me demonstrated her disrespect and angst toward me.
I am convinced now that sometimes people do mean things and don't remember them because it was a devil who influenced and worked through them. This is why narcissists often deny what they have done, they really don't remember doing it. They thought they had a good reason or it was simply too insignificant to retain in their memory.
As born again believer we want to be aware of everything we are doing in order to reflect God's character. When God shows us something wrong we want to take care of it quickly to resume on the path of righteousness.
James 1:19-20
"19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."
Narcissists never listen to learn for the purpose of helping to resolve. If they do listen it is to find holes to poke in your concern to be able to justify themselves.
Keep looking up brothers and sisters, we can expect more of this anger and contempt from those who do not love our God.
When you approach this person with a reasonable request but they turn it into an argument instead of a discussion, you are left wondering why this happened and what you did to cause it?
When we encounter this kind of anger in someone who refuses to hear anything they choose not to hear, they will shut you down before you have a chance to say what needs to be said and then act as though you were the one causing trouble. It is a tactic to blame you for having a concern, and excuse themselves for not wanting to address the concern.
We are encountering this more in these last days described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
"3 But realize this, that in the last days perilous (ragingly insane) times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
2 Timothy 4:2-4
"…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
Notice what God says in 2 Timothy 4? He tells us to keep on doing what we should, that is reproving, rebuking and encouraging in righteousness even though it will be met with hatred and anger. This takes the strength of the Holy Spirit!
Those who are seeking the Lord with all their heart do not become angry when someone wants to discuss something. The sad thing is that those who want to discuss a matter to resolve it will rarely be approached by anyone else to resolve something. People who are not interested in resolving things will avoid discussion all together except and unless they have a mentality to win over someone.
These people will not approach with kindness, they will do so to batter first to gain the upper hand. Their goal is not to resolve, it is to win over. Those who come to win over come to fight, without concern for what someone else might be thinking and going through in their life.
A young woman once approached me telling me she wanted to "fight it out", but I didn't even know what it was that she wanted to fight about. My response was that I wasn't interested in fighting anything out, I wanted to discuss reasonably, that means that each one tells their part and each one considers the concerns of the other. She was not interested in that so she just walked away. The fact that this woman was much younger than me and wanted to fight with me demonstrated her disrespect and angst toward me.
I am convinced now that sometimes people do mean things and don't remember them because it was a devil who influenced and worked through them. This is why narcissists often deny what they have done, they really don't remember doing it. They thought they had a good reason or it was simply too insignificant to retain in their memory.
As born again believer we want to be aware of everything we are doing in order to reflect God's character. When God shows us something wrong we want to take care of it quickly to resume on the path of righteousness.
James 1:19-20
"19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."
Narcissists never listen to learn for the purpose of helping to resolve. If they do listen it is to find holes to poke in your concern to be able to justify themselves.
Keep looking up brothers and sisters, we can expect more of this anger and contempt from those who do not love our God.
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