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After The Fact

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Stop Living In Denial And Face The Issues Through Christ

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 2 Timothy 3:1-5

3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

We realize that in these words that it opens a window of what should help us strive to be stable in our faith. The enemy is working through people and situations that strain our spirit. What I am afraid of more than anything is that one day we will think we have the power to overcome anything but from our denial of sins and temptations that we will be no better than our enemy.

Sadly, we church members do not sufficiently realize the extreme subtlety of our heart’s disease. Denial does not come at us loudly proclaiming to be our deadly enemy, saying, “You are a bold faced liar and you are going to burn in the Lake of Fire!” It comes like Judas, with a kiss, and like Joab, with his hand extended in friendship and his tongue uttering flattering words.

  • “It’s okay to do this”
  • “They can’t judge you”
  • “Why should you care what anyone thinks, you should be happy”
  • “It’s their fault you’re in this predicament so it’s OK to do what you want”
  • “You don’t have to repent, they are just hypocrites themselves”
  • “God loves you and it’s okay to stumble from time to time, even when you know better.”
  • “My pastor told me it was okay”
  • “It’s not like anyone sees me”
  • “It’s not like it’s on facebook”

Amos 8:11-12

11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

We are facing an ever constant battle of spiritual warfare. The enemy seeks to steal your mind and rob any imagination that would lead you to have a constant lifestyle aligned in God’s will. As we allow these fiery darts to prevail in our thought process we see that we begin to lose our spiritual vision (faith).  And as our spiritual vision goes we begin to try and listen for anything that will let us continue as we are and reject any notions from God that take us towards a faith that leads us blindly through our trials.

This prolonged rejection of the word leads to a cold bitter heart that has little or no acceptance to God’s word, prophecy, encouragement or exhortation.

How do we overcome denying our faults?

1)  The Worship of God and Christ will empower the Holy Ghost inside of you. The Holy Ghost will teach you and align you to the truth of God’s word and purpose, thus making you free

John 8:28-32

28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

2)  Walk in the counsel of God’s word through preaching, teaching, encouragement and what you receive in prayer/prophesy. And as you continue to walk in this way you are blessed from God being pleased with your living example

Psalm 1:1-3

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

3)   Examine your life daily. If the doctor tells you to examine yourself and to take care of yourself to live long…then chances are when we perform our spiritual checkups that we can deal with things and rid them in the earlier stages rather than waiting until we are in denial!

2 Corinthians 13:5

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Our Shield, Sustainer and Savior

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The Lord Is Our Shield (v 3)

  • Consider the arrows and spears of David’s time
  • The fiery darts of Satan we endure

Ephesians 6:16

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

  • God’s people have always been targets of enemies
  • What people forget is that God is our shield
  • He was abraham’s shield, he was david’s shield

Genesis 15:1

15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

  • And he is ours! The shield protects during battleThe Lord is our sustainer (v 4-5)
  • David cried to the Lord for help
  • Our Lord’s many invitations to pray1. Call unto me (Jeremiah 33:3)

    2. Ask and it shall be given (Matthew 7:7)

    3. Believe that ye receive (Mark 11:24)

    4. Ask what ye will (John 15:7)

  • David was in so much peace that he could sleep (verse 5)
  • He slept in peace and woke up invigorated, The lord sustained him in danger

The Lord Is Our Strength (v 6)

  • “I will not be afraid” (verse 6)
  • Consider the circumstances, the forces against him
  • One plus God is a majority
  • As faith increases, fear decreases
  • Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)

The Lord Is Our Source of Victory (v 7-8)

David sees his enemies overcome by God’s power

  • our salvation and freedom from our enemies is from the Lord
  • Salvation from our sins has come through Christ’s blood

Romans 5:6-9

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

  • we also obtain victory from satan’s attacks

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

– There really is victory in Jesus!

1 Corinthians 15:57-58

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

It’s Time To Stop Pretending

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John 5:36-40

36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Most of us instinctively draw back from dealing with this stubborn commitment to independence from the world, pretending we are all right as we are. It is much easier to pretend we are thirsting after God than it is to face the challenge of giving up our commitment to independence from sin.

Psalm 42:1

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

What is the answer? We must ask God to search our hearts, expose our self-centered motivations, and help us to see just where it is that we stop short of panting after Him.

You see, the more deeply we sense our thirst, the more passionately we will pursue water. But we will never sense that thirst until we are willing to face the fact that we may be drinking more from our own self-constructed wells than from the wells of God.

We cannot continue this way. The days of pretending are over.

Proverbs 14:12

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Our own reasoning will lead us to destruction. Without God’s counsel we will perish.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21

20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

We cannot pretend to be one way and be another. There is no middle ground. You are either free from your sins and fighting temptation or you are in bondage and fighting to pretend you are free.

James 3:14

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Don’t fight to prove that you are something that you are not. Do not lie against the truth of who you are. It is better to face and fight our demons than it is to try and hide them from the view of others.

Philippians 3:12-14

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If we forget about something then it is dead to us. Until what leads you into sin is removed from you through the grace and mercy of God then they are not forgotten (or behind you).

Life for us now consists of discarding wrong attitudes and habits accumulated in the past. In modern, psychological terms, we must lose our baggage. For us, the past is dead, buried in the waters of baptism. With that behind us, we must diligently make unwavering progress in putting out the leaven of sin, growing in God’s love, producing the fruit of God’s Spirit, moving toward the Kingdom of God, and putting on Christ’s perfection, His image in us.

Challenges of Our Faith: Humbleness

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One of the next challenges of our faith is to learn how to keep our humbleness in balance with what we do not understand.

Matthew 23:12 – And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Why is humbleness important? (Defined as having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.) Humbleness as it is related to our faith is what keeps us grounded to the central point of focus. Without being humble we stray from the very ideal that God is able to perform our petition and that we cannot. And the further we go away from humbleness the more opposite of the outlook we obtain: instead of “I can do all things through Christ” we start thinking “I can do it on my own” Having no humbleness in your heart to strengthen you is like going to the pool and wanting to swim but the pool has no water. It is like trying to take a drink of water from an empty bottle. So it is like we try to do something by faith but we do not satisfaction while we are doing it.

1 Kings 17:14-24

Neither one of them blames God for their tragedy. Neither one of them tries to explain it away with easy answers. And neither one concludes that with the right amount of faith, there will never be any more pain in the widow’s life. They simply go to God, asking him for help, appealing to his mercy. They have what we would call a humble faith. It’s humble because they recognize that God often does things they don’t understand. But it’s faith because they never cease believing in the goodness of God.

A lot of people attempt to have faith without being humble. In order to believe, they demand that God do exactly what they think he should. If he doesn’t, then they lose their faith. In order for them to obey God’s moral instructions, for instance, they have to agree with them. But if God doesn’t say things that offend you or do things that confuse you, then you aren’t dealing with the true God; you’re dealing with a figment of your own imagination. A god who conforms to your mind is usually only a projection of your mind. One of the ways we know that God is a living God—and not just a projection of preconceived notions—is that he leaves us with so many unanswered questions. If I invented a god, he would always take care of the people I like and would never surprise me. But God is confusing. He is surprising. He is constantly doing things that make me say, “What?” A humble faith is willing to live with unanswered questions, yet is confident in God’s goodness.

So how do we stay humble?

  1. Prayer: 2 Chronicles 7:14
  2. Encouragement for others: Ephesians 4:1-3
  3. Get rid of what tarnishes humbleness: Ephesians 4:31-32
  4. Being patient when we do not understand: 1 Peter 5:6

Don’t Let Go, The Work’s Not Done

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Genesis 32 is the pivotal chapter so far as Jacob’s life is concerned. He is a vastly different man here from the person we have come to know in previous chapters. The preoccupation which obsesses Jacob is the necessity of facing his brother Esau, from whom he has deceptively obtained the birthright and the blessing of his father. While the results were consistent with the revealed will of God, the means employed were not pleasing to Him. The result was a “brother offended”.

When Jacob had left Canaan for Paddan-aram, his mother had told him that he would only need to be gone for “a few days” (27:44), and then, when Esau’s anger had cooled, she would send for him (27:45). Twenty years had passed and, so far as we are told, he had never heard from his mother. That must have led Jacob to conclude that Esau still harbored a grudge against him. Jacob thus had good reason to fear a confrontation with his brother.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house; and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee” (Genesis 28:20-22).

 

To me, this was a bargain with God. In return for God’s presence, protection, and provision, Jacob would let God be his God. Of all that God gave to him in the form of wealth, Jacob would return ten percent. In effect, Jacob has made God his agent and offered Him the normal fee. What a far cry from what a man’s response to the living God should be!

All of Jacob’s deceitful practices which we have seen over the years of his life are the result of a fundamental misconception. Jacob felt that spiritual blessings were to be secured by carnal methods and means. Jacob rightly believed that God had promised to make him, not Esau, the heir of promise with the rights of the first-born. He valued this blessing while Esau despised it. What he did not yet know was that he did not have to connive and scheme in order to obtain the promised blessings of God. The encounter which Jacob will have with the Angel of Jehovah will correct this error and will instruct Jacob as to how and why spiritual blessings must be obtained through spiritual means.

Genesis 32:24-32

Supplant – to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery

Esau could neither provide nor prevent the blessing of God. It was not Esau that stood in the way of Jacob’s blessing in the land of Canaan. On the one hand, it was God Who opposed him. On the other, it was Jacob himself, who by means of his trickery and treachery, his cunning and deceit attempted to produce spiritual blessings through carnal means. The blessing of God must be obtained from God himself, and this must be done by clinging to Him in helpless dependence, not by trying to manipulate Him. That is the picture which is conveyed by this struggle in the night hours between Jacob and his God. A realization of this fact brought about a dramatic change in the character and conduct of Jacob, and thus his name was changed to reflect this transformation.

The Angel of the Lord asked his name, and he had to reply, “Jacob,” which meant “the supplanter.” This must have been as uncomfortable for Jacob as it was for childless Abraham to refer to himself by his name, which meant “father of a multitude.” No longer should Jacob be known as a supplanter, for now he was a man who prospered because of his faith in the purposes and power of his God, and so the name Israel was given him.

Genesis 32 emphatically instructed Jacob that the Christian life is a spiritual warfare. That is why we see so much emphasis upon angels. Angels met him when he entered the land. An Angel opposed him when he attempted to cross the Jabbok. The blessings which God promised Jacob were spiritual blessings, and spiritual blessings cannot be obtained through fleshly means. If Jacob’s life in Canaan were to receive God’s blessings, Jacob must learn to wage spiritual warfare. He must realize that his major obstacle is not his brother, but his God. Once God is with us, victory is certain. Since our God is a sovereign God, no one can resist His will—not Esau, not Pharaoh, not Assyria, Babylon nor Rome.

Ephesians 6:12

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

It’s Time For Overflow

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Overflow: the excess or surplus not able to be accommodated by an available space.

Philippians 1:9-11

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Abound yet more in knowledge = overflow

Let us overflow that we may be lift up God, be genuine towards others and live to not offend them as alone as we live

Overflow = you are filled with an overwhelming conviction to do whats right

Let’s read the promise of the Father:

Isaiah 44:3 – For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

Joel 2:28 – And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Luke 24:49 – And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The Spirit of God is a spirit of might, and of power, as well as of knowledge, of understanding, of counsel, of love, and of a sound mind; whereby they were to be fortified, and inspired with courage and greatness of soul, so as to look their greatest adversaries in the face with boldness and intrepidity, and freely, and without fear, speak unto them; and whereby their ministrations would be succeeded to the conversion of many souls; and accordingly so it was: for after the Spirit was poured out upon them, they who before were timorous and fearful, came forth publicly, with undaunted courage, and resolution, and boldness, to the amazement of their adversaries; and their preaching was with the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; who may be said to be “from on high”, since he descended from heaven upon them; and they may be said to be “endued”, or “clothed” with him, since there was such an extra ordinary and plentiful effusion of his gifts and graces on them: and now they were to wait in Jerusalem for this, that in the place where the Spirit had been dishonoured and blasphemed, and the unpardonable sin against him had been committed by the Scribes and Pharisees, the might be in a most visible and signal manner honoured; and also, because the doctrine of the Lord was to go out of Zion, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.

Romans 15:13 – Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

We abound in hope and keep peace through overflow. It’s time to seek God through overflow.

Peace: The Harmony Between The Heart And Mind

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Proverbs 3:5

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

If we only live to please our mind we only live by our flesh and what will appeal to the senses. If we are only pleased by our senses then we are very likely to accept what we see and feel as opposed to what faith tries to change in us.

If faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen then we realize faith is not kept in the mind for the mind attempts to depend on sight. Faith is kept in the heart.

As the spirit stirs your faith, your faith stirs your heart, and as your continued desires before God continue your mind is transformed by not depending on sight but by what dwells inwardly.

We are tempted in our minds to change the way our heart can continue to hope. We are aggravated in the flesh to cause us to think with our mind first and not with our heart.

The mind is the part of us that thinks and reasons; the heart is the part of us that contains our deep longings and desires. Although the mind is important, the heart is even more important because it is the engine room of our personality—the part from which come our drive and motivation. That is why our Lord says,

Matthew 12:34

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

John 14:24

He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

The heart of Jesus Christ was the very heart of God the Father; consequently, the words Christ spoke were the exact expression of God’s thought. Jesus’ tongue was always in its rightful place. He spoke not just from His head but from His heart; His heart and His mind were one.

The heart is the central altar and the mind the outer court. What we offer on the central altar will show itself in due course through the outer extremities of personality.” In the search for unity of purpose and integration, there is no doubt that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What God is trying to get us to see is that we must not live to please only our mind or only our heart but to transform ourselves to be the kind of people that (like Christ) can have their minds and hearts as one. This is known as peace

Philippians 4:6-7  

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 14:17-19 

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

2 Corinthians 13:11 

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another,agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

1 Peter 1:2 

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:  May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Romans 5:1  

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

About Good Friday

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Good Friday is the completion of Jesus Christ’s sin-cleansing and life-saving empathy that brings eternal life to all who put their confidence in him.

On Good Friday the Son of God who always loves everyone is betrayed by Judas, falsely accused and condemned by the religious leaders and Pilate, scourged almost to death, abandoned by his disciples, mocked by the crowds, and tortured to death on the cross. Far worse than these humiliations and sufferings, he who never sinned takes on the hideousness of humanity’s sin, choosing to receive the punishment that we deserve so that we could be healed (fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53).

He died with our sins so that we do not have to die today in our own. Jesus empowered us with the strength to resist what would come in our future.

Romans 5:6-10

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Jesus paid the price that covered us all

Romans 5:18

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

He healed the things that would have went without healing on earth

1 Peter 2:24

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus suffered in His spirit so that the door could be opened for the spirit to have a worthy dwelling place

1 Peter 3:18

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

He died so that we could become a people that could finally overcome our iniquity

Titus 2:14

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

He died so that we would no longer be segregated by anything and could become one church

Romans 3:22-24

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

He died so that we could see an example of how what lengths we should go to when we help and love one another

1 John 3:16

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Jesus died so that we could live in peace on Earth

Colossians 2:6

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Jesus Died so that your sins could be forgiven

Acts 3:19

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Jesus died so that you could be saved!

Romans 10:9-10

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Divine Judgement And Blessings

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I have been forced to reconsider the relationship between divine judgment and divine blessing. I have always thought of them as opposites that have no relationship. I like to think of judgment as something that has little to do with me and much to do with my enemies. I like to think of God’s blessings and salvation as mine, unrelated to judgment. I have come to the conclusion that divine judgment and divine blessings are very closely inter-related.

In the first place, God’s judgment is the means whereby He delivers us from our enemies

(3:15, 19). 15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.  19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get [7] them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

Second, divine judgment purifies the righteous remnant

(3:9).  9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, [3] that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. 

Finally, God’s judgment is the means by which God brings about our blessings. When God removes the wicked, it is so He may come and dwell with us. In addition, when God removes the wicked, He gives their possessions to His faithful remnant

(2:5-7, 9-10).

5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord [1] their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.

9 Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts.

The judgment of the wicked is the means to our blessing.

These reasons for divine judgment can best be summarized in this way:

  • God will judge those in Judah who practice pure paganism (1:4).
  • those who mix the worship of God with the worship of other deities (1:5a).
  • those in Judah who completely reject and turn away from the faith of their fathers (1:6).
  • those who choose to identify with the heathen (rather than the people of God) by their dress (1:8)
  • those who practice violence and deceit (1:9)
  • those who presume that God is indifferent about their sin (1:12)
  • those who put their trust in anything but Him (1:18)
  • those who refuse divine instruction, and who have ignored His warnings (3:1-2). Judah should have learned from God’s judgment of others, but she did not (3:6-7)
  • those in leadership, who have abused their authority and forsaken their stewardship (3:3-4)

Zephaniah 3:8-13

Zephaniah also summarizes the hope of the righteous remnant:

Their sins are forgiven and they are cleansed from their sin (3:9, 11, 13).

They will be delivered from or through divine judgment (2:1-3)

They will eventually be rescued from the hand of their oppressors (2:4-15; 3:15).

They have the hope of future blessings (2:6-9).

They will be given fame and honor (3:19-20).

They will enjoy security and peace (3:13).

They will enjoy being in God’s presence, as He rejoices over them as the objects of His love(3:15-17).

Zephaniah 3:14-20

After the promises of taking away sin, follow promises of taking away trouble. When the cause is removed, the effect will cease. What makes a people holy, will make them happy. The precious promises made to the purified people, were to have full accomplishment in the gospel.  They show the abundant peace, comfort, and prosperity of the church, in the happy times yet to come. He will save; he will be Jesus; he will answer the name, for he will save his people from their sins. 

Understanding The Wheat And Tares

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Matthew 13:24-30

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops. An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business. The tares in the parable were likely darnel because that weed, until mature, appears as wheat.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

Just as a true wheat plant produces wheat, so will a true believer produce spiritual fruit consistent with the life of faith. The day will come when each person will be known for what he or she truly is.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Trying to perform an action to vindicate your life from an enemy before it’s time may prove that you uproot in the wrong place and may offend someone without your intention.

Trying to prove yourself before the time will only destroy the fruit you would have had if you had just endured instead.

Only when we wait for the appointed time can we begin to see what separates a Christian walking by faith and a non-believer acting as they do but with no fruit bearing.

Seed if sown and cared for will bloom and prove itself. Faith if kept by prayer, fasting and obedience will prove itself by the signs and wonders that follow.

Do not be alarmed at the presence of tares. Weeds want to thrive most where there is life most.

Matthew 13:36-43

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Jesus is the one whom through His sacrifice at Calvary and His works through us shows the good seed. The field is the world and where we are to try and sow good things.

The tares are the works of the enemy and him through others. God wants to redeem all, even the one the enemy may work through at times. You must learn to see the enemy supernaturally and not looking at the person next to you as your enemy. Think of the word sowed in that regard!

In the end days God will separate the wheat from the tares when those who believe and endure shall be called up. And as tares would burn on earth so shall the unbeliever go to a furnace of fire.