Who is More Important to You?

Who is more important to us, God or everyone else?

God does not bless or forgive those who are not sorry. He never enables those in serious sin to continue in their sin without consequences.

Matthew 11:20-24
The Unrepenting Cities
20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.
21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Here we see that God chastises the wickedness of the people, He does not coddle them in their sin nor have compassion for them, He destroys them. This is the side of God most people don't want to believe.

Those who think that sin is not very important cannot be led by the Holy Spirit of God. They love their sin, they love their freedom to do as they please and they do not love God.

When we love someone we desire in our very depth to bless them, to follow them and to engage with them as often as possible. God wants our hearts not merely lip service to make ourselves appear spiritual to those around us.

One can read the Bible often, know it inside out and upside down, but if they violate its teaching they are demonstrating their love to be honored for what they know rather than a desire to please and follow 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.’”…"

1 Corinthians 8:1 "Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies."

Our modern idea of love is not love at all, it seeks to "feel good" about self while our companions are destroying their lives and their eternity through their sin and rejection of Christ.

Yes it is true, most people understand that if they stand for righteousness to please God and to help the sinner to repent they will be rejected, mocked and lectured by others as though they are mean or wrong. They will be treated with dissmissiveness and contempt by nearly everyone around them.
Those who are sinning will reject us along with all their friends.

Many people can spout verses from the Bible, even sound very interested in the Bible while at the same time violating more of scripture than they obey. These people are play acting to impress others. They say; "see how smart I am, how much I know" while spurning any correction that might help them to actually become wise.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult Times Will Come”
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult 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."

When we discover that someone is walking in sin without repentance, we must remove ourselves to avoid becoming like them.

Psalm 13:19-21 "Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools. 20 He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous."

God is not impressed with these diatribe stage productions to defend adamantly their position to sin all they like without challenge. These same people reject and mock those who desire to help them move forward in holiness. Their dedication to their sin is far greater than their disdain of it, if there is any disdain at all.

Those who defend sin to claim we are under grace are more concerned about their human relationships than their relationship with God. These people are also more interested in being loved by their peers and family than they are pleasing God. Helping someone to remain in sin makes us complicit in their sin, we are responsible when helping others to sin if we do not come against it.

Psalm 50: 16 "But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you hate discipline,
And you cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
And you associate with adulterers.
19 “You let your mouth loose in evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done and I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes."

Everything we think will determine our walk. What is in our hearts does not stay in our hearts it emerges as actions that destroy or build up. Building up someone does not mean merely kind words and flattery. When we build up our brothers and sisters we bring truth so they can pray to fix what is wrong in their character.

Romans 1:32
"and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."

We are responsible to be dedicated to God first and human beings as they honor God. If they do not honor God in their lives then we are responsible to speak the truth for them to repent, if they do not we are responsible to remove our self to allow God to do what comes next for them. If our words will have no effect then our presence won't either.

Proverbs 14:7 "Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge."

Luke 16:30-31 "…30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”"

John 5:46-47
…46 If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”