Thursday, May 23, 2019
Trust Only Christ No Man
Sin ruins people but when we have confessed our sinfulness and trusted Him, He saves us and cleans us up. The stain of sin is taken away. If there is still guilt then it is because we are not believing God when He said this:
1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."
God will save and cleanse anyone who wants to believe on Him. When we believe on Him we want to be cleansed.
If anyone holds our sin against us we can say; "Christ cleansed me from that, I am born again and free from that sin. No one but the devil accuses the brethren of what is in the past and gone.
Sadly in our day there are those who are absolving people of their sin when they have not repented. It leaves many wicked people feeling justified in their sin, as though the sin is not a problem. The mentality of entitlement, "you have to forgive me", is present in a lot of people these days.
I have only had one person say to me "you have to forgive me." They were not sorry for anything even continuing in that sin, but thought I should forgive them anyway.
My answer to entitled people who believe they don't have to be repentant for their sin is this; "no, I don't have to forgive you for unrepentant sin. And, God will not forgive anyone who refuses to repent, even while remaining in that sin.
The "just let it go" mentality serves only to defend and encourage sin to grow. These people are enablers, removing guilt and shame before there is repentance.
Guilt and shame over sin is a good thing. God designed our beings to hide when we have sinned. After Adam and Eve sinned they went and hid from God. They did this because they knew what they had done and could not face Him.
He didn't say; "I forgive you." He said the garden would be cursed and the rest of humanity until the end of time would feel the consequences of that sin.
Notice what Adam and Eve did rather than confessing! They blames each other. Adam blamed God and Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Because they blamed others instead of owning their own sin, they were cursed to die.
Does anyone see how serious sin against God is? Its so serious that Adam and Eve were not allowed to live in paradise anymore. They were shamed to have to wear cloths when they didn't need to anymore. Their world was cursed to a fallen state forcing them to wander and work hard to be able to live.
Why would we think our sin is any less important than the sin of Adam and Eve?!!! All Adam and Eve did was eat fruit they were told not to eat. Their sin doesn't seem all that bad compared to what our world does today. Our world does the same things today. Those who are rebellious blame God, blame others, make excuses and become angry when someone confronts sin in them.
All Adam and Eve did was eat fruit they were told to avoid. Just as mankind simply will not obey God in the simplest matters, even worse defending their sin claiming they are under grace.
God has not changed, sin has not changed! Sin of any amount no matter how small keeps someone out of heaven and into hell because God cannot be in the presence of sin.
The only solution is that mankind believe Christ, obey His command to repent and desire to be cleansed by Him. If there is no sorrow over the sin, no repentance and no desire to be cleansed then there is no salvation. Its so simple that a small child can understand it.
John 14:6
"6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
How to make our way to heaven, just believe in Christ and He will do all the work in us. In order to know His heart and His will we must read the Bible and pray for the understanding to discern truth.
Depend only on the Holy Spirit, trust no man for the answers, only Christ. God may send other people from time to time whom Christ is speaking through but everything that is said must be filtered through the Word of God. If what they say does not match the Word then we ignore what they said and go with God.
Psalm 28:7
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."
1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."
God will save and cleanse anyone who wants to believe on Him. When we believe on Him we want to be cleansed.
If anyone holds our sin against us we can say; "Christ cleansed me from that, I am born again and free from that sin. No one but the devil accuses the brethren of what is in the past and gone.
Sadly in our day there are those who are absolving people of their sin when they have not repented. It leaves many wicked people feeling justified in their sin, as though the sin is not a problem. The mentality of entitlement, "you have to forgive me", is present in a lot of people these days.
I have only had one person say to me "you have to forgive me." They were not sorry for anything even continuing in that sin, but thought I should forgive them anyway.
My answer to entitled people who believe they don't have to be repentant for their sin is this; "no, I don't have to forgive you for unrepentant sin. And, God will not forgive anyone who refuses to repent, even while remaining in that sin.
The "just let it go" mentality serves only to defend and encourage sin to grow. These people are enablers, removing guilt and shame before there is repentance.
Guilt and shame over sin is a good thing. God designed our beings to hide when we have sinned. After Adam and Eve sinned they went and hid from God. They did this because they knew what they had done and could not face Him.
He didn't say; "I forgive you." He said the garden would be cursed and the rest of humanity until the end of time would feel the consequences of that sin.
Notice what Adam and Eve did rather than confessing! They blames each other. Adam blamed God and Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Because they blamed others instead of owning their own sin, they were cursed to die.
Does anyone see how serious sin against God is? Its so serious that Adam and Eve were not allowed to live in paradise anymore. They were shamed to have to wear cloths when they didn't need to anymore. Their world was cursed to a fallen state forcing them to wander and work hard to be able to live.
Why would we think our sin is any less important than the sin of Adam and Eve?!!! All Adam and Eve did was eat fruit they were told not to eat. Their sin doesn't seem all that bad compared to what our world does today. Our world does the same things today. Those who are rebellious blame God, blame others, make excuses and become angry when someone confronts sin in them.
All Adam and Eve did was eat fruit they were told to avoid. Just as mankind simply will not obey God in the simplest matters, even worse defending their sin claiming they are under grace.
God has not changed, sin has not changed! Sin of any amount no matter how small keeps someone out of heaven and into hell because God cannot be in the presence of sin.
The only solution is that mankind believe Christ, obey His command to repent and desire to be cleansed by Him. If there is no sorrow over the sin, no repentance and no desire to be cleansed then there is no salvation. Its so simple that a small child can understand it.
John 14:6
"6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
How to make our way to heaven, just believe in Christ and He will do all the work in us. In order to know His heart and His will we must read the Bible and pray for the understanding to discern truth.
Depend only on the Holy Spirit, trust no man for the answers, only Christ. God may send other people from time to time whom Christ is speaking through but everything that is said must be filtered through the Word of God. If what they say does not match the Word then we ignore what they said and go with God.
Psalm 28:7
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."
Monday, May 20, 2019
Resisting Correction and Instruction will Lead to Hell
Correction often is an expression of caring. If we are not disciplined by God then we do not belong to Him. Those parents who do not discipline or correct their children don't love them.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Proverbs 13:24
"24 He who withholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him diligently."
Hebrews 12:11
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Ephesians 6:4
"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
Those children who resist the correction of their parents, fighting to disregard their counsel will be disciplined by God.
I once told my children it is better to be disciplined by me than for them to be disciplined by God later. My discipline is far less frightening than the discipline of the Lord when He deals with a rebellious heart. They didn't believe me, because the culture all around them mocked God's principles.
We are all trained by God through various trials. However when we have to go through training its far less emotionally draining than if we are rejected by God for rebellion.
When we are in training because we are obedient and he wants to grow us, we know He is going through with us. However, when God leaves us to our own consequences because of rebellion, He does not go through with us. He does not impart His strength to us to be able to withstand, we are on our own alone in our sin. After all isn't that what a rebellious person says to God? "I don't need you, nor do I want you." God does not play silly manipulative games with foolish people. When we tell Him we don't want Him He goes away.
Proverbs 12:1
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."
James 4:2-4 "…2 You crave what you do not have. You kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God."
Notice the rebellious person turns to God in a crisis but they reject Him any other day of the week. God will not hear the prayers of these people.
Proverbs 1:26-28
"26 I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,"
God hates to be mocked and then used when things get rough. He will not help those who hate Him every day of the week when things are easy but turn to Him when they want something.
Many of us know what this feels like. Our own children will turn their backs on us when we no longer have anything to offer them. When we have been giving all our lives and in return we received anger that we cannot give one more time, we lose interest in attempting to continue with them. This is normal and natural, God does this too.
Christ gave all He had, that is Himself to die a terrible death for those who were still in their sin. He offered us everything and all we had to do was admit our sinfulness and ask Him to come into us as our guide, our helper, our peace and joy. That's all, just believe Him and He comes in to do all the hard work in us for us. All we have to do is submit when He speaks. Its not hard, but we see the depth of stubbornness in those who will not be told by anyone what they need to do.
Romans 5:7-9 "…7 It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!…"
The fool is angry over nothing and believes lies just to show they are in charge of their own life. Talk about cutting off ones nose to spite their own face.
Christ died for all of us while we were still sinners, when we trust Him He counts us as His children and then the sanctification begins. The trials and the learning commence and continue for a lifetime until He takes us home.
Those who do not trust Christ, those that are still trusting in their own strength, thinking they know better than God does, will be left to their own feeble and beggarly devices to muddle through. They may be able to carry on with out Him now, but when judgement day comes they will end up in hell. They then will have no control over their fate. All that control they thought they had will come to worse than nothing, it will be the eternal consequences of hell.
Revelation 21:8
"8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
"5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you."
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Proverbs 13:24
"24 He who withholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him diligently."
Hebrews 12:11
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Ephesians 6:4
"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
Those children who resist the correction of their parents, fighting to disregard their counsel will be disciplined by God.
I once told my children it is better to be disciplined by me than for them to be disciplined by God later. My discipline is far less frightening than the discipline of the Lord when He deals with a rebellious heart. They didn't believe me, because the culture all around them mocked God's principles.
We are all trained by God through various trials. However when we have to go through training its far less emotionally draining than if we are rejected by God for rebellion.
When we are in training because we are obedient and he wants to grow us, we know He is going through with us. However, when God leaves us to our own consequences because of rebellion, He does not go through with us. He does not impart His strength to us to be able to withstand, we are on our own alone in our sin. After all isn't that what a rebellious person says to God? "I don't need you, nor do I want you." God does not play silly manipulative games with foolish people. When we tell Him we don't want Him He goes away.
Proverbs 12:1
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."
James 4:2-4 "…2 You crave what you do not have. You kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God."
Notice the rebellious person turns to God in a crisis but they reject Him any other day of the week. God will not hear the prayers of these people.
Proverbs 1:26-28
"26 I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,"
God hates to be mocked and then used when things get rough. He will not help those who hate Him every day of the week when things are easy but turn to Him when they want something.
Many of us know what this feels like. Our own children will turn their backs on us when we no longer have anything to offer them. When we have been giving all our lives and in return we received anger that we cannot give one more time, we lose interest in attempting to continue with them. This is normal and natural, God does this too.
Christ gave all He had, that is Himself to die a terrible death for those who were still in their sin. He offered us everything and all we had to do was admit our sinfulness and ask Him to come into us as our guide, our helper, our peace and joy. That's all, just believe Him and He comes in to do all the hard work in us for us. All we have to do is submit when He speaks. Its not hard, but we see the depth of stubbornness in those who will not be told by anyone what they need to do.
Romans 5:7-9 "…7 It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!…"
The fool is angry over nothing and believes lies just to show they are in charge of their own life. Talk about cutting off ones nose to spite their own face.
Christ died for all of us while we were still sinners, when we trust Him He counts us as His children and then the sanctification begins. The trials and the learning commence and continue for a lifetime until He takes us home.
Those who do not trust Christ, those that are still trusting in their own strength, thinking they know better than God does, will be left to their own feeble and beggarly devices to muddle through. They may be able to carry on with out Him now, but when judgement day comes they will end up in hell. They then will have no control over their fate. All that control they thought they had will come to worse than nothing, it will be the eternal consequences of hell.
Revelation 21:8
"8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
"5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you."
Sinless Perfectionists are in Sin!
The Bible does not teach sinless perfection. Those who teach this false doctrine will be blocked. Yes, we should avoid sin and confess if we do it, but no one is perfect except Christ in us'
Those who think they never sin after salvation are denying the ongoing lifelong need for sanctification and confession. Those who think they never sin after salvation will never confess sin to grow in holiness. They will claim their sins are mistakes and grow only in pride.
This was written to believers:
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 7:23-25 "…23 But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.…
Those who declare they are sinless make terrible spouses and friends. These people are deeply prideful and superior to those they think are beneath them. They tend to be harsh and arrogant toward others who have fallen even after they have confessed and turned from their sin. They also tend to judge little matters as though we have fallen off the cliff.
There is a sense of shaming people for small matters, even things that are not sins but just not the way they would handle things. These people are not teachable, their nose is so lifted up that they would drown in the next good rain.
I rebuke those who think they never sin!!!
1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Those who think they never sin after salvation are denying the ongoing lifelong need for sanctification and confession. Those who think they never sin after salvation will never confess sin to grow in holiness. They will claim their sins are mistakes and grow only in pride.
This was written to believers:
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 7:23-25 "…23 But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.…
Those who declare they are sinless make terrible spouses and friends. These people are deeply prideful and superior to those they think are beneath them. They tend to be harsh and arrogant toward others who have fallen even after they have confessed and turned from their sin. They also tend to judge little matters as though we have fallen off the cliff.
There is a sense of shaming people for small matters, even things that are not sins but just not the way they would handle things. These people are not teachable, their nose is so lifted up that they would drown in the next good rain.
I rebuke those who think they never sin!!!
1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Death Decides the Outcome, Nothing More Can Be Done
Since I know that whatever is going to happen to a person after their death, is already in God's hands, it doesn't make sense to tell the dead person to make sure they are rested. LOL
This "RIP" presumes that the dead person has something within their own power to make themselves rested and at peace.
Even sillier is the presumption people have that wicked ungodly movie stars are going to rest in peace.
I have heard family members of wicked people who lived terrible lives and never trusted Christ wish them "RIP." Its as though they are "forgiving" the dead person who can't change anything now and who cannot be forgiven after death.
We have so many false presumptions based on pagan practices that we have lost sight of God's principles. Many Christians practice these unbiblical and paganistic rituals, even becoming angry when a born again believer comes along and rains on their parade with the truth.
Since our culture is more about feelings than facts, they are easily agitated at the mention of the truth.
Luke 6:21
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets"
Once we know the truth about many of these things we can no longer go back to those practices or even enable others by endorsing them as insignificant.
This "RIP" presumes that the dead person has something within their own power to make themselves rested and at peace.
Even sillier is the presumption people have that wicked ungodly movie stars are going to rest in peace.
I have heard family members of wicked people who lived terrible lives and never trusted Christ wish them "RIP." Its as though they are "forgiving" the dead person who can't change anything now and who cannot be forgiven after death.
We have so many false presumptions based on pagan practices that we have lost sight of God's principles. Many Christians practice these unbiblical and paganistic rituals, even becoming angry when a born again believer comes along and rains on their parade with the truth.
Since our culture is more about feelings than facts, they are easily agitated at the mention of the truth.
Luke 6:21
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets"
Once we know the truth about many of these things we can no longer go back to those practices or even enable others by endorsing them as insignificant.
The Loss Seams Hard but the Final Reward is Far Greater
If you have lost everyone, perhaps even everything to follow Christ then you are in good company. Job lost everything except his wife. His children were dead, his wife wasn't much encouragement and his body was devastated with sickness and pain.
But then look what happened!!!
Job got everything back and more after the terrible time, except those children who were killed. We will get everything back and more too, except the children who refused to trust Christ, but in the next life when we are with Christ and all others who love Him.
When we no longer look to this life for our hope we can rejoice every day for what is coming next when this life is over.
Jude 1:24-25 "24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.…"
But then look what happened!!!
Job got everything back and more after the terrible time, except those children who were killed. We will get everything back and more too, except the children who refused to trust Christ, but in the next life when we are with Christ and all others who love Him.
When we no longer look to this life for our hope we can rejoice every day for what is coming next when this life is over.
Jude 1:24-25 "24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.…"
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