Thursday, November 18, 2021

Offended? – Part 3

 

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

 

Continuing: America’s National Motto is “In God We Trust” and enemies knew that this nation could not be defeated from outside attack due to its military strength, the deep patriotism of its citizens, and their steadfast trust and reliance on God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). So, a strategic plan was devised and a list of goals employed to turn Americans against themselves and destroy the nation from the inside. This list of 45 goals was discovered and read into Congressional record on January 10, 1963. Goal #24 reads eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech. Goal #25 – Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, movies, radio and TV. Goal #26 – Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal”, natural and healthy. Goal #27 – Infiltrate the churches and replace “revealed” religion [the focus on believing God and obeying the Bible in a vertical relationship] with “social” religion [focus on horizontal interpersonal relationships and feelings]. This includes discrediting the Bible and emphasizing the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch”. Goal #28 – Eliminate prayer or any phrase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principles of “separation of church and state”. Who is offending who? The spiritual battle is for the hearts, minds and souls of this Christian nation, but ultimately against God Himself. Bottomline - In the final conclusion, the issue is: “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; the unrepentant, unsaved Sinner will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Christians look up to God in Christ, and only look down to pull their fellow man out of the pit of Hell to life in Christ.

 

In John 10:9-11 Jesus tells us, “I am the door [the narrow gate]. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

 

Darkness cannot co-exist with light because, by definition, darkness is the absence of light. “Evil” is natural or moral. Natural evil is anything which produces pain, distress, loss or calamity, or which in any way disturbs the peace, impairs the happiness, or destroys the perfection of natural beings. Moral evil is any deviation of a moral agent from the rules of conduct prescribed to him by God, or by legitimate human authority; or it is any violation of the plain principles of justice and rectitude. Fallen humans have a sin nature to have sinful thoughts and doing sinful things (greedy, prideful, arrogant, jealous, prejudice, envious and hateful). Who is offending who? There is a metaphoric story of a scorpion that came to the shore of a pond and asked a turtle in the water for a ride on their back across to the other side. The turtle said no, because the scorpion would sting him on the trip across and he would drown. The scorpion replied that he would not sting the turtle on the ride because he would sink and drown too. It made sense, so the turtle allowed the scorpion upon his shell and started swimming across the pond. Halfway across, the scorpion stung the turtle in the neck and before they both sank to their death, the turtle asked “why did you sting me knowing that they both would die”, to which it replied “because I am a scorpion and that’s what I do; it’s my nature.” We shouldn’t be surprised when evil and bad, by nature, do evil and bad things. But, unlike scorpions, people can be transformed and change their nature through Jesus Christ.

 

John 3:30-36 says, “He [our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ] must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains and abides on him.”

 

The Holy Spirit transforms the heart and soul in born-again conversion of the repentant Believer, changing their nature. It is the supernatural spiritual heart transplant of a sanctified life [changed by God for God’s purposes] in thought, word and living (180 degrees away from the God-rejecting sinful being); now walking aligned with the Lord’s holy Word, Will and Way. God changes our “want to”, so that we “want to” walk in righteousness and holiness, living for Christ, but we no longer “want to” walk in sin. 1 John 5:11-12 confirms, “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life [will not inherit the kingdom of God].” By God’s plan of Salvation, Jesus came to “seek and save the lost”, but saved from what? 

 

Revelation 20:10-15 tells us that “the devil who had deceived [the world] was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

 

If you were to die tonight and God asked you: “Why should I let you into My Heaven?”, what would you say? Where is your faith? Romans 3:22-25 tells us that there is “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This is the light of truth and loving faith that saves.

 

In Christ, Brian

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