Do You Know This God?

Nahum 1:4-7 “He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. (5.) The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. (6) Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.  (7.) The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

It is funny to hear some Pastors and Christians describe God, and then you must wonder, do they even know Him. I laugh every time I hear Pastors proclaim these ignorant words, “God can’t change your will, it is your decision” when speaking of salvation. The reason I must laugh is because it is so untrue, this is not the God that saves. The God that saved me is the God of Sovereignty, immutability, Omniscience, Omnipresence, in fact my God is the only One who can save a sinner. Beloved, just read the text and tell me that God cannot change a persons will. The absolute truth is, if God does not change a persons will it will never be changed. Folks, there is nothing in the scriptures to support their claim and I mean nothing. Everything in creation obeys God’s commands, even nature. As God has many times told us over and over in His word, if He does not save us we will never come to Christ Jesus for salvation. Paul said in Romans 3:11 “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Folks, this is every human being, none of them will ever seek the Lord because it is against our sinful nature to seek righteousness. Look what God said of man, Job 15:16 “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” this is not some men it is all mankind. People want to rob God of His saving glory and Jesus Christ His saving glory by putting this into the hands of man. God never put these in man’s hands because man would fail just like we have failed at everything else. We must understand when we came to Jesus Christ for salvation we were delivered by the power of God, not by our decisions. Jesus Christ said in John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Why can’t a person come to Christ without being drawn? Jesus also said in John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Please note the word “men” is in italic which means it does not exist and the translators added it. However, please note the word “draw” in both of these verses, it absolutely means – to drag – why does God have to drag us to Christ if it is our choice, and God cannot change our wills. But please take special note of the words in John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…”  Jesus Christ Himself said that no man can come, except the Father draw him. Why if the Father refuses to draw a soul to Christ, can that person come anyway? And how does God draw us or drag us? Well, first of all God cannot fail therefore all that He calls, or draws, or drags will come. Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” And please note “many as are led… they are the sons of God” There is nothing about a sinner’s choice, there is nothing about a sinner making a decision, there is nothing about anyone else doing anything, only God. Folks, the pulpits today are full of wrongness and people filling them who has never been saved. Let’s see what God calls these people. Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Look where these blind leaders are leading you too. And God said to leave them alone, but I must try to make those being lead to see. Folks, those that hate the Sovereignty of God are blind, think about it. 

Abstain!

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22

One of the greatest problems of believers in Jesus Christ is to abstain from evil, but God has demanded of us to do it. While we are yet sinners even while in the gracious salvation of God. No human is perfect and we should never expect another to be perfect. God warned us through the Apostle Paul, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 As Christians we must think soberly because it is easy for proud believers to tend to believe that somehow they are more highly and more respectfully above others. But as we think soberly and not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought, we should remember that we are all sinners saved by the grace of God. And as sinners none of us are better than the other. We must believe that all the goodness in us if in Jesus Christ and given to us by the holy Spirit through the grace of the Father. Paul went on to say in Romans 12:3b “…according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”  We must understand that God deals with us independently of each other. It is God that takes a single lump of clay and molds each of us the way He chooses too. One He may give many gifts of grace, another somewhat less, and some He may have made them a vessel for destruction. There is not injustice with God He has the right to do as He please, just as you would if you created something. Therefore, the more you know, the stronger you are, is the more blessed with Gods “measure of faith”. Therefore, I believe it is wrong to be critical of one who lacks the graces you do. However, lacking grace, faith, and understanding is one thing, but to disobey God is another. Christians often get themselves into trouble by knowingly disobeying God. Even the simplest believer knows it is wrong to disobey God. Therefore, it is our job to avoid sin in our lives and to worship God with all our being. God warns us throughout His word to avoid evil and sin. We should not be around it, nor be a part of it so that we are not tempted. The less temped you are the less likely you are to disobey God.

 

Now to our main point. We are not only to avoid sin but we are also to avoid putting ourselves in a place that even looks like sin. Notice exactly what God said “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” In other words, don’t put yourself in a position that it is going to make you look like you are sinning. Let me use this example, if you are sitting in a bar where drinks are served, one might assume you are consuming alcohol, and if you are sitting with a pretty woman one might assume you are with her instead of your wife. Now all of this is assumption, but you are going to be mad it someone claims they saw you. But here is the question, who’s fault is the misunderstanding? It is yours for allowing yourself to be seen in “…appearance of evil.” We don’t need to forget that God also told us “That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” 1 Thessalonians 4:12 How are we walking honestly before them if we are walking with them? Folk’s don’t sit with sinners unless you want to look like one of them. Regardless of the measure of faith that God has given to us, we all know by faith alone to avoid sin, and here God tells us to even avoid the appearance of it. I finish with this thought, please read it very careful. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

It Is A Lie To Deny Jesus Christ His Dew Glory!

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” 1 John 2:22

When I hear so many people in this nation deny the Lord Jesus Christ and His due glory it makes me sick. God before the foundation of the world had chosen His Dear Beloved Son to come to this world to give His life as an atonement for the sins of many. God did not send His Beloved Son to die a miserable death as a partial substitute. Because the Son came to this world to redeem a remnant of the lost sinners. I must sit and scratch my head when I hear some people speak of Jesus Christ as a “partial substitute”, so does He get only partial glory for salvation? Let me tell you an absolute truth from God’s word, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14 that does not seem to be a partial Saviour that can only deliver a half-way salvation. If Jesus Christ is going to “redeem us from all iniquity” then what is left to be redeemed. What is it that educated people cannot understand about the word “all”. People must understand to deny Jesus Christ His due glory is to deny Him altogether. God said of Jesus Christ, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:” Philippians 2:9 God is not talking about the name of Jesus, other people had that same name, He is talking about His name as “Redeemer, Saviour, and The Christ. Only the Son of God can have these names and many more like them. These are the name that God The Father has given Jesus Christ and that is because He earned every one of them. Therefore, this man named Jesus The Christ who is the Son of the Living God sits on the right hand of Jehovah where a Son who did what He did should sit. All glory and blessings are to His glorious name. But, every day you hear millions upon millions shout that His blessed blood is not enough, that His death was not enough, that His resurrection was not enough, that the fact He sits on Gods right hand is not enough. What! But God said “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ…” That’s right all those people are liars, liars for trying to steal the glory due Jesus Christ. God went on to say “…He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” Why, because you called God a liar. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.” 1 John 5:10 What record did God give us of His Son, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son...He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5:11-12 People can debate this all they want too. But be sure to let God be true and all men liars. "...let God be true, but every man a liar..." Romans 3:4 God chose to save a remnant of the sinner population for His Own Glory and none other, and that glory comes only through His Beloved Son Jesus the Christ. It does not come through us or any part of us. We are sinners, we will die sinners, but thanks be to Jesus Christ we will be glorified SAINTS if we believe in Him. “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,” Jude 1:14 Saint means - physically pure, morally blameless – there is only one way to be pure, or blameless and that is to be washed in the purifying blood of Jesus Christ. God said, "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin...Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," Hebrews 10:18-19 now you can believe man and go to the eternal hell fires or believe God and be redeemed, cleansed, and soon glorified. God said, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved… Acts 16:31 Do you believe God or man, that is an eternal question.

Jesus Appointed And Sent.

Luke 10:1 “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.”

Most folks today believe that God no longer sends servant’s out, they believe they just go. The truth is God has always ordained, appointed, elected, and sent. Here we see the Lord appoint and send out seventy men to take the message of the gospel to this place. Jesus said in verse 2 “…The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few…” and indeed the Lord is correct. I believe every servant of the Lord was elected, ordained, and commanded to go. If we read the bible we will find that in every area the Lord has always sent. Remember back to Matthew chapter 4 after Jesus was tempted He then went out calling people to follow Him, people never just followed Jesus. Sometime you see people just follow Jesus but they never remained, they were always disappointed in His teachings and left. I believe this also about the Lords churches, I believe the first church assembled together on top of that mountain in Matthew 5 when Jesus called them out, assembled them together, and preached to them. If you look at 1^st Corinthians chapter 12 you will the Lord speaking of a church as a body with many members. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”  1 Corinthians 12:18 Remember the 1^st church were called out and set in place by Jesus Christ Himself. The church is also about authority, this authority was given to the 11 apostles in the great commission, not to individual people. The authority belongs to the Lords churches because the Lord said “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18 and the Lord told this churches elders in the next verse “Go ye therefore…” Jesus did not tell the world, neither did He tell whoever chooses too, He gave this authority to His church. The reason we have so many worldly establishments calling themselves churches who have the entire bible turned into a big lie is because they have no authority from the Lord to be a church. Every church in the New Testament was a called out and assembled by the Lord Jesus Christ through another church. Every time mission workers went out they were sent by the Lords churches. Anyone can assemble themselves together and call themselves a church, but unless Jesus Christ build the building there is not building. Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” Who did, God did and not man.