Mad Cause God Won't Change

A lot of professing Christians are actually mad at God because He won't change (Malachi 3:6).  I know it sounds silly, but they actually want God to be like a no good man who lies to you; and they get angry when confronted with the fact that He is not.

The Lord lays out for us clearly in His word who He is, what He will accept and what He will not. Yet, people keep on their own way, doing what they want to do, expecting that somehow in the end it is going to be different than what God says. They don't want to be told what to do by God and falsely believe that He will accept their strange offerings in place of their obedience.  For some reason - their life experiences, feelings of self-entitlement, head knowledge, hardships, religious works, etc. - they believe that He will make an exception for them.  He won't.

God will honor all of His promises, whether seemingly good or bad.  We cannot malign His righteousness because of His faithfulness in keeping His word.  Yet that is exactly what people are doing when they look upon Him to change His word.  He is not some joker who is stringing you along, but His word is true. Otherwise, we would not be able to trust in Him in any matter.

The Sins of Manasseh

"Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." Hebrews 12:16-17

There are many Contemporary Christian songs which make claims such as, "You can never fall too far, so fast, so far that you can't get back when you're lost."  They insist that it doesn't matter what you've done because you are never too far gone.

While these songs might be catchy and the words might be comforting to a heart darkened by sin, we must ask ourselves, "Is this true?"  Is it biblical to say that God will always be there to vacate judgment when we finally make up our minds to repent?

Yes, Jesus in fact died for all of the sin of the world. However, if we do not avail ourselves of that sacrifice, if we continue loving darkness and rejecting light, we can do despite to the Spirit of grace. There is such a thing as becoming reprobate, where you are beyond salvation (Jeremiah 6:30; Romans 1:28; I Corinthians 9:27; II Corinthians 13:5-6; II Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:16; Hebrews 6:8).

reprobate: Hebrew word ma'ac meaning to reject, despise, or refuse.

reprobate:  Greek word adokimos meaning not standing the test, not approved; that which does not prove itself such as it ought

We are to seek the Lord while He may be found, lest we be turned over to a strong delusion to be damned.

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."  II Thessalonians 2:11-12

And Adam Was NOT Deceived

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." I Timothy 2:14

Have you ever wondered about this verse?  I have. When I first read it, I am sure my physical expression looked dumbfounded.  What in the world did it mean?

Didn't both Adam & Eve disobey God?  Yes.

Didn't they both eat of the forbidden fruit? Yes.

Didn't they both fall into sin?  Yes.

Then what distinction was God making here?

deceived: Greek word apataō meaning cheated, beguiled, deceived

Satan subtly tricked Eve into believing that his words were true.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty..." Corinthians 11:3a

Yet Adam, who was with her, was not deceived (Genesis 3:6).  He knew that Satan was perverting God's words and knew that Satan's words were lies.

So that begs the question, why didn't Adam correct & stop Eve?  Why also did he partake of the forbidden fruit?  Knowing fully that such would bring death, why would Adam choose to follow Eve's error?  The answer is clear in God's judgement.

Sin is Like an Infectious Disease

The following message is from Pastor Zac Poonen.

The Bible speaks in Hebrews 12:15 about a root of bitterness that can cause trouble. You don't have to wait till it becomes fruit. You know what a root is. When a tree has started taking root, it's probably not even come up above the surface of the ground. Nothing is visible. When you plant a seed in the ground, it first of all takes root before it comes up.

And bitterness is like that. You sowed something in your heart; it is beginning to take root. If you don't pull it out, it's taking root and it will cause a lot of trouble and not only that, a lot of trouble to you first of all and many people can be defiled. Many people can get that infection, because the person who's got his bitterness in his heart will go around telling other people. It's like a person who has got chicken pox who goes around spreading it to others or a person who has got tuberculosis who goes around spreading it to others, a person who has got a cold goes around giving it to others or the flu. It's very easy to transmit this sickness. It's highly infectious. And you find people who are bitter everywhere in the world. You'll find Christendom is full of it. When a man comes to you with a complaint against another, a gossiper who is talking evil of others, what does he have in his heart? He's got bitterness against that person.

No More Conscience of Sins

In the early days of my salvation, I remember talking once with my pastor and his wife as she did my hair.  I shared with them how weird it was that - when I first started listening to tapes from their ministry - I would have recurring thoughts about seducing him.  I had never met him nor her before, but it was a very strong urge.  As I listened to the tapes, I would hear, "He should be your husband.  His wife probably doesn't appreciate him like you would." Now keep in mind the insanity of this because I too was married at that time.

I was troubled by those thoughts because they were so atypical for me, but they kept coming.  I would ask myself, "Where is this coming from?  Why am I sitting here thinking about some other woman's husband that I have never even met when I myself am married?  And when listening to Bible tapes no less???  This is crazy!"  It made no sense to me because I did not yet understand spiritual things.  Yet, we need to understand the battle we face when we come to Christ.

I didn't think such thoughts were typical of me, but neither was I aware of all that Satan had placed within me (Jeremiah 17:9).  Satan saw me being drawn by the Father and he was pulling out all the stops.  I wasn't aware that there was a spirit of whoredoms in my soul, but when I started coming to the Lord, Satan revealed his hand.  Not only did he want to stop me from coming to the Lord, he figured he could use me - a vessel he had prepared - to bring down this pastor.  In doing so, Satan thought he could keep me as his own, but the Lord was intent on saving my soul.

By Their Fruit

"For every tree is known by his own fruit..." Luke 6:44a

Not to state the obvious, but "knowing Christians by their fruit" does not mean that everyone who does something "nice" is a Christian.  It does not mean that God is pleased with someone just because they give to the poor, attend church regularly, or sing in the choir.  It doesn't mean that everyone you think is a good person is saved.

Fruit here refers to the natural attestations of the life one possesses within; it is the fruit of the Spirit.  Apple trees naturally produce apples.  Orange trees naturally produce oranges. They don't have to try to do this or work at it.  In fact, they cannot help it.  Even if they tried to produce some other fruit, they do not possess the genetic make-up to do it.  Each must and does produce after its own kind.

So it is with the Spirit.  To identify those who belong to Him, God has denoted the one thing which cannot be faked: life.

Prior to salvation, we were by "nature" children of God's wrath (Ephesians 2:3).  After salvation we can become partakers of the divine "nature" of God (II Peter 1:4).

nature: Greek word physis; it means the nature of things, the force, laws, order of nature; birth, physical origin; the sum of innate properties and powers by which one person differs from others, distinctive native peculiarities, natural characteristics

When we speak of our "nature" we are talking about the very essence of who we are...and whose we are.  Do we belong to the Lord or do we belong to Satan?  How do we know?  It is not about what we say or even what we do.  It is not even who we think we are.  It's about the nature we possess, and each nature has its own fruit.

The Sin You Defend Is the Sin You Are In

God is so merciful.  It is easy to see the sin that plagues us.  Whatever we fight against in the word of God is what ensnares us.

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3

One of the purposes of the word of God is to allow us to see where we are out of sorts with the mind of Christ so that we can be changed.

If you justify lying, you are in covenant with liars.

If you justify adultery, you are in covenant with whoremongers.

If you justify homosexuality, you are in covenant with sodomites.

If you justify disobedience to God's word, then you are in covenant with witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23).

It is really not that hard to understand.  Our own words give away what has us bound.  People think they are showing off their intelligence, biblical acumen, or spirituality when they debate Scripture, but what they are really doing is loudly & proudly proclaiming that they are still in covenant with sin.

The Grand Canyon

God is Showing You YOU

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

If you look at the Grand Canyon, you will see various layers in the rock formations.  This is caused by various geological events which created, pressurized, and hardened rock over the passing of time.

Such is the way it is in sin.  It is like hardened rock that has been so pressurized, fortified, and built upon within us, that it seems almost immovable.

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:" Ezekiel 19:9

Sanctification unto salvation is a process (Romans 6:22; II Thessalonians 2:13-17; II Peter 1:4-10). When God chips away at these rocks, He reveals to us who we really are, as opposed to who we think we are.  As such, we should not be surprised to see the fossils and skeletons which resided there in our hearts. They are remnants of our past life of sin which - although may be years ago - still made an indelible impression on our personality.

If You See Me Wallowing in the Mire...

Let's say that you are walking one day and you find me on the side of the road.  There I am, in a huge muddy pit, just sloshing around in the dirt.

Although it initially looks like I may be struggling to get out as my members contend with the weight of the caked on debris all over my clothes, skin, and hair, you are just not sure.  As you watch me roll around in the mud, you wonder if in fact I might actually be enjoying it...and maybe to a certain extent I am.

Each day, you walk by and find me in that same muddy hole.  Each day I seem to be a little deeper in it.  The degradation of my condition worsens, and the stench from the pit soon becomes overwhelming.

You eventually discover that I have resorted to eating the mud around me, for lack of any other nutrients nearby.  Yet each day you walk by, and if only for a brief moment, our eyes meet.

In such circumstances, can I ask you a favor?

Cooperating with God's Work

In the last post, I stated, "There is nothing in salvation of which we can boast because our deliverance is of the Lord alone (Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 1:3).  We cooperate with it, but it is His work completely."

Some people find this statement to be an oxymoron.  If salvation - and thereby our deliverance - is of the Lord alone, then why does it require our cooperation?  Those who struggle with this most are they who have been falsely led to believe that man has no role in salvation, has no free will, or is unconditionally eternally secure (OSAS) due to a one-time profession of faith.

How do we cooperate with God's work?  We yield over control of our vessels to Him.  That is it.

It reminds me of the television show "Extreme Home Makeover", where a team of carpenters offers to completely remodel your home.  In order to receive this offer, what is the first thing you have to do?  Get out of the way.  The crew is not there to build according to your specifications nor to equip you with the skills to build according to your own desires.  They will take on the expense of the rebuild, but you must give them complete control.  The result?  You are given a complete renovation of your house where everything is made new.

Works of Darkness

I received the following newsletter from Bro. David Wilkerson's ministry this morning.  There seems to be a consistent theme God is communicating to His people in this hour.  I pray we all take it to heart.

God is extending His hand as foretold in the letters to the Churches in Revelation.  The main theme?  Repent!

Don't be swayed by doctrines of demons put forth to shipwreck your faith.  Don't think that God will simply overlook wilfull sin; don't think such things will remain hidden.  Jesus brings all hidden things done in darkness to light (I Corinthians 4:5).  Don't think your church activity and "good works" will save you (Matthew 7:21-23). Don't believe that your previous diligence will protect you from your current malaise.

Jesus is the author of salvation for those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).  Yet, even now there is a gentleman continuing to submit comments about how we don't have to obey God to be saved.  How that is a "works" salvation when God says that it is a free gift and not of works.  How we are eternally saved unconditionally.  The Scripture is plain. It is staring him right in the face.  Yet, he still cannot see the truths of God.  Why?  Because he is in sin.  And this man is not alone.

The Father that dwelleth in me, HE doeth the works

A Time of Revealing

"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10

I have been getting a lot of emails about professing Christians falling into apostasy in droves now - from denying the authority of God's word, claiming there is no need for Christians to repent, and even validating all types of immorality & fornication as acceptable. This is a sign of a reprobate mind.  Jesus said this would occur.

"Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." Revelation 2:20

Jesus said that the last days church would have to contend with the spirit of Jezebel who teaches and seduces God's servants to commit fornication and ingest idolatry.  When you see professing Christians (male or female) maligning the Lord, justifying idolatry & and encouraging all forms of illicit behavior - you are looking at the spirit of Jezebel at work.

In spite of what people proclaim verbally, what is truly in the heart is being made manifest.  All these years, folks have been sitting next to you in Church...Amening your posts on Facebook...lifting up hands in praise & worship....and talking about how gooood the Lawd is.  Yet behind the scenes they are still revelling in sin.  They are not only still slaves to sin, they have no desire to be free from it.  They love sin and have only used the Lord Jesus Christ as a cloak to cover their unrighteousness.  They are not born again.

A Burning Heart

The following message is from Min. Leonard Ravenhill.  May you each be blessed with a heart burning for the Lord in listening to this sermon.

•  The prophet by the very nature of his calling is a tragic figure.  He has a fierce loyalty to God and a burning heart of compassion for the lost world.
• Holiness is the most needed thing in the church today.
• Jesus undid all that Adam did.  He is the last Adam!
• All that people know in the churches now is that they have had their sins forgiven, but they have been submitting to inward sin for years.  That is not the message of salvation.  Forgiveness is not salvation!
• They preach to sinners in their sin, "You know the Lord loves you just as you are?"  Well, then, why change?  Yet the Psalms says that God is angry with the wicked every day.
• Religious people like to say, "God loves you, but hates your sin."  That is bunk.  God hates you for committing the sin.  Is God going to take your sins at the judgment and judge them, but leave you alone?  The Scripture says that the man who has failed God, he will suffer loss, not his sins.
• Jesus came to save us now from sin. A man living in defeat to sin cannot tell another how to be saved.  We must be saved from lust, fear, doubt, pride, etc.  Christianity is not a sinning religion, but a victorious one.

The Power of a Selfless Life

Jesus, Either a Fence or Offense

You can walk peacefully with many brothers and sisters - and even with those in the world - until the topic of sin comes up.  This is why Jesus is a rock of offense to so many (Romans 9:33; I Peter 2:7-8), even to some who claim to serve Him.  They don't want sin exposed. 

"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." John 15:20-22

Jesus' existence necessitates dealing with sin for such is why He came, to pay for the sin of the world and pave the way for our victory over it.  His very presence removes any cloak man might seek for sin.  For the believer, that is good news!   In fact, as believers walk with God, He will point out more and more within us which is not pleasing to Him as we are perfected in Him.  It is a continual walk of faith, but also of repentance. We must be sure not to be offended by this for that offense is the evidence of things contrary to God within our hearts.

All Things That Ever I Did

The Beauty of Jacob's Well

"Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 

The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" John 4:5-29

I have been getting a number of comments lately questioning whether Christians are supposed to address sin or error.  Some say it is not "loving" to do so, and we have talked about that in the past.  However, recently it was said that Jesus never pointed out people's sin; that Christians are only supposed to talk about the sin of believers...and some say we should not even address that!  It was also suggested that pointing out sin to sinners is akin to casting pearls before swine.  I have found none of these assertions to be Scriptural and believe the story of the woman at the well is quite relevant to these assertions.

There IS a Fountain

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." Psalm 36:9

"The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." Proverbs 13:14

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." Proverbs 14:27

"For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water...As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds." Jeremiah 2:13, 6:7

"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." Zechariah 13:1

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim." Joel 3:18

God's "Unconditional" Love

"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. " Proverbs 8:17

I have been thinking a lot about the "unconditional love" of God.  This is commonly asserted by many Christians, and most often in relation to sin, "God loves us unconditionally in spite of our sin."  However, is this sentiment really biblical and what is meant when people say this? I ask you to think honestly about this question.

Increasingly people are being lulled into a false standing with God which seems to hinge on some perversion of God's love.  The purpose of this article is not to attempt to divorce man from God's great love, but to ensure that we are truly abiding in His abounding love.

For a doctrine that has become so central to the contemporary church, Scripture is relatively silent on this issue.  That is why many asserting that "God's love is unconditional" must deduce that it is so.  They seek to appeal to what might be called your sense of reason saying, "God's love must be unconditional because...[fill in the blank]"  Yet, there is not one Scripture which states that all have God's love unconditionally.  Is God's love undeserved by all?  Yes!  Yet, undeserved does not mean unconditional. At the very least this concept should be supported by God's word if it is to be believed.  Otherwise, it is likely false - no matter how warm & fuzzy it makes us feel.

So, what does it mean biblically to say that God's love is unconditional?

unconditional: not limited by conditions; asserting that the existence or occurrence of one thing or event does not depend on the existence or occurrence of another thing or event.

God's love simply exists, for He is love (I John 4:8).  It is not dependent upon anything else for - like His very nature - He (and it) just is.  Yet, the fact that God's love exists unconditionally does not mean it is received by man unconditionally. 

Wake Up Church!

A video compilation from Holy Desperation.

God's Love in Judgment

Being Ripe for Judgment

A Joyful 'toon Message.

The following message is from Pastor Zac Poonen entitled, "God Waits for Man’s Sin to Become Ripe for Judgment".
________________

The people of Canaan, whom God commanded to be killed, were being punished just like Sodom and Gomorrah was punished and like the world in Noah’s day was punished. The whole earth had become corrupt in Noah’s time with sexual sins (Gen.6:11). The Canaanites too were indulging in degrading sexual sins and Satan worship. And so “the land itself spewed them out”. (Leviticus 18:24, 25). Deuteronomy 9:4 and 18:10-12 give us clear reasons as to why God destroyed the Canaanites. Where there are polluting influences in any nation that defile and corrupt the land, the only thing to do is to punish such a nation by eliminating the people – lest their influence spread and corrupt others too.

A God of love destroys some people just like a kind doctor amputates a man’s foot when the gangrene in his foot is so severe that it threatens to destroy the whole body. If you saw a doctor sawing off somebody’s leg, and did not understand medicine, you would imagine that the doctor hated that man. But actually the opposite would have been true. The doctor was doing it in love. God also acts in love for the world when He cuts off certain people who would otherwise corrupt it. Wiping out the world’s population at the time of the flood was an act of love, so that the human race could be preserved without being totally controlled by demons (Gen.6:2 – where the “sons of God” refer to God’s creation - the angels who fell). The apostle Paul once smote a man with blindness because he was leading another person astray (Acts.13:8-12). I have heard of cases of people who were smitten dead by God because they opposed a revival. So what we read of in Joshua was not the murder of the Canaanites. It was surgery for the world.

Coming Before the King

Don't Let Familiarity Breed Contempt

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

We are told in Scripture that - through Christ - we can come boldly before God, even into His very presence because the veil that separated the Holy of Holies has been rent (Matthew 27:51; II Corinthians 3:12-18).  The fact that we can now come boldly before the throne of grace does not mean however that we can come brazenly before the throne.

boldly: parrēsia (Greek); freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance

brazen: shamelessly or with impudence; insolent, defiant, brass; made of brass

I mention this because I am not so sure that people perceive the difference.  It is appropriate that brazen means to be like "brass", for brass in Scripture is the equivalent of flesh; and that is what we often see on parade as being offerings for God in His Church.  This is why much of the Church has lost proper reverence for God.

Let us not mistake what has been done for us in Christ.  Through Jesus, that which was filthy, abominable, and antagonistic to God is cleansed by the covering of His blood to be able to stand before Him.  What Jesus has not accomplished is changing the nature of God so that He is now down at our level, allowing flesh to glory in His presence (I Corinthians 1:29).  Jesus does not make Himself our "home boy".  Rather, we are raised (from our lost & sin-filled place) to sit with Him in Heavenly places.  Jesus makes us acceptable for God; He hasn't made God acceptable of sin. That is a BIG difference.