This past weekend was bittersweet. My heart hurt but God is good and in the midst of pain he sent joy. I am grateful for that. In spite of turmoil I felt peace. In spite of pain I laughed. And through it all I relied upon His glorious grace to be sufficient, it was abundantly so!
I just want to encourage each of you today to walk by faith in God’s grace. And get ready cause I am almost back on track with Romans and guys it’s getting good.
Tonight I want you all to study the chart above. Really get to know it, digest it and know the truths it shows of how God is dealing with man. I have always gotten God’s dispensational plan to a point, and that was all the Spirit leading me because the church we work in and where I was standing the day I accepted God’s gift of grace sure doesn’t believe in or teach dispensationalism; or anything else that is biblically sound either, they have become a liberal, progressive, Catholic wanna be, social justice ecumenical, modernist, apostate abomination. But there are precious tender hearts in the children there and God put me there to show them His Son and why they need Him. There are a very small number of brethren among the adults as well; these are why we are there. But I digress sorry, my point tonight is grab a KJV Bible and see if this chart holds up scripturally.
Our Lord and Savior was crucified on a Passover Thursday nearly 2,000 years ago. I know most folks will say what? Haven’t you heard of Good Friday? What kinda christian are you? Well, I’m the kind that loves Christ with all her heart and soul. The kind that cries with shame and remorse every time I read the accounts of my Savior’s last day before He died for me. The kind that is anguished watching movies or programs depicting the agony of my sweet Lord as he suffered for me, for my sins, my vileness. It was me who held those nails, that swung the hammer, in my soul I feel every blow of my responsibility for Him being on that cross. Today my heart breaks under the weight of what I did to hold Him there. I recall the times I denied him like Peter, the decisions I regret just as Judas did, the things I did that rejected and pushed my Savior away for so very long. They are why he had to die that horrible death that Thursday so long ago. For you see he didn’t die on Friday, he couldn’t have if he was in the grave for 3 nights and 3 days as he said he would be. If he died around 3pm as the Bible tells us on Friday as the common tradition is and rose before sunrise on Sunday morning well that’s a day and a half at best he was in the grave, definitely not the three days and nights He mentions in the passage below.
For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40
We know He rose on Sunday morning, scripture is clear on that.
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Matthew 28:1
The first day of the week is Sunday. So let’s look at what the Gospels say about this most important week, this week that literally changed the world. That changed everything, that conquered death and the grave once and for all, that gave hope to the lost and dying world groaning under the weight and wages of sin.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. Matthew 26:17-19
And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Mark 14:12
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Luke 22:7
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. John 13:1
In all four Gospels we see that the Last Supper was the Passover meal eaten that Thursday evening (Jewish time)after sunset and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover was begun by eating the Passover feast. After eating the Passover meal, he traveled to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, seeking God’s will and not his own but knowing full well what he would endure in the coming hours. The weight he would bear for the world that had and would largely reject and deny him. The cup he would be willingly drank more bitter than gall, more loathsome than the most vile poison, yet Christ obeyed his Father and drank willingly of it for all. He was so anguished in His soul not over the physically pain he would suffer but the spiritual pain he knew he would endure that he actually sweat blood, that’s love people. It was while they were in the Garden that Judas betrays Him with a kiss and he is taken, taken by those who would mock, beat, and torture him before turning him over to the Romans who would then scourge him, ripping the flesh from his bones, crowning him with thorns, mocking the King with a purple robe. A royal purple robe that became scarlet with the blood he was shedding for the sins of the world. Then when he was beaten to what should have been beyond the point of death Pilate offered to set him free and crucify the vile murderer Barabas instead. But it wasn’t the will of the Jewish leaders, the people or the Father.
All this has taken place in the early morning hours of that fateful Thursday for before 9am our Lord was staggering in a horrific parade through the streets of Jerusalem on his way to his death at the Place of the Skull, Golgotha, to Calvary Hill! At 9am that Thursday they nailed him to the cross, hung a sign saying King of the Jews over him and cast lots for his raiment. For you see they added one final humiliation to his lot, the attending Roman soldiers took his clothes and gambled over them as he hung there above suffering, dying. Psalm 22 gives us a haunting foretelling of Christ’s suffering, so accurate in it’s detail, well, just read it for yourself.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou answerest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, Commit thyself unto the LORD; let him deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighteth in him. But thou art he that took me out the womb: thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gape upon me with their mouth, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My Strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of evil-doers have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon me: They part my garments among them, and upon my vesture do they cast lots. Psalms 22:1-18
And then we have the Gospel accounts of the last three long, brutal hours of suffering that day.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calleth Elijah. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him. And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Matthew 27:45-50
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah. And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down. And Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. Mark 15:33-37
And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun’s light failing: and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he gave up the ghost. Luke 23:44-46
But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold, thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold, thy mother! And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home. After this Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, that the scripture might be accomplished, saith, I thirst. There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. John 19:25-30
John’s account always gets me, maybe it’s the momma in me but it gives us such a clear picture of the love our Savior has for each of us. As he was suffering, dying a most torturous death he is worried about his mom, wanting to ensure that she will be taken care of. So he tells Lazarus, the disciple he loved, whom he had raised from the dead, (not John, I’ll post on that another night) to take care of her as he would have his own mom. I love that image we are given of the love of a son for the woman who bore him, I always think it shows that Christ was human just like us, even though he was God just like his Father.
At about 3pm Christ gave up the ghost, having declared “It is finished.” There was a great earthquake, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, no more was there a separation between God and man, ultimately pointing us to our glorious hope, our only hope, an empty tomb. A tomb which our Savior was placed in just before sundown that Thursday, a tomb sealed tight and guarded. A tomb foretold by the prophets of old.
We will leave off there tonight with Christ dead, with the Savior in the dark, fulfilling his Father’s will but leaving us feeling raw, hollow, despairing. Much as I imagine his disciples felt that day. How many questions they must have had. Some must have felt guilt and remorse, others confusion, some reflection, realizing that he had told them what would happen, their scriptures had told them as well, and that maybe, just maybe all hope wasn’t lost. Maybe they just couldn’t see the big picture in the dark, maybe the sign he gave about Jonah would shed some light on things. They’ll find out in three days and nights. For now it is finished.
May God bless and keep you my beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
Just a little Spurgeon for tonight, it speaks what my heart cries. I gave someone I love very much, but have had to separate myself from because of their hostility towards my family, a Bible and tried to share Christ once again with them; I pray they are led to glean from it where they will meet Him at last.
“She gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.” — Rth 2:3
Her hap was. Yes, it seemed nothing but an accident, but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had gone forth with her mother’s blessing, under the care of her mother’s God, to humble but honourable toil, and the providence of God was guiding her every step. Little did she know that amid the sheaves she would find a husband, that he should make her the joint owner of all those broad acres, and that she a poor foreigner should become one of the progenitors of the great Messiah. God is very good to those who trust in him, and often surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen to us to-morrow, but this sweet fact may cheer us, that no good thing shall be withheld. Chance is banished from the faith of Christians, for they see the hand of God in everything. The trivial events of to-day or to-morrow may involve consequences of the highest importance. O Lord, deal as graciously with thy servants as thou didst with Ruth.
How blessed would it be, if, in wandering in the field of meditation to-night, our hap should be to light upon the place where our next Kinsman will reveal himself to us! O Spirit of God, guide us to him. We would sooner glean in his field than bear away the whole harvest from any other. O for the footsteps of his flock, which may conduct us to the green pastures where he dwells! This is a weary world when Jesus is away-we could better do without sun and moon that without him-but how divinely fair all things become in the glory of his presence! Our souls know the virtue which dwells in Jesus, and can never be content without him. We will wait in prayer this night until our hap shall be to light on a part of the field belonging to Jesus wherein he will manifest himself to us.
It’s one of those kinda brutally real weeks that don’t happen real often but when they do they sorta wipe me out. I got word today my Papa passed yesterday and that grieves me to the core. He was a wonderful man, WWII hero, a real man’s man, and my papa. But as far as I know he was lost as a ball in high weeds yesterday morning. I tried to reach he and my mama so many times, I talked about Jesus – who He was what He did why we need Him. I preached Christ crucified but hard hearts don’t always listen. I pray for waters to come in there lives and the rest of my families lives where I’ve sown seeds, but I fear it was all stony infertile ground. And that hurt so bad. But I am clinging to the faith and strength of Christ for I know His grace is sufficient to carry me through this and that one day he will wipe the tears and hurt away. But for now I have His Word, the comfort and peace I draw from it is enough. I’d like to share a few of the passages and verses I’ve been pressing into today as a balm for my weary broken heart. And I want to reach out to each of you who read this saying that Jesus loves you. He loves you and He wants to save you. He already paid the debt you owe for your sins, it was nailed to that bloody cross at Calvary. He was crucified to pay for your sin, buried to forever erase it, and rose the third day for your Justification before God. That empty tomb is the paid in full stamp on your eternal salvation the instant you believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Please if you are not sure you are my brethren in Christ fix that now, I want to rejoice with you in heaven one day. If you have questions, need to talk, are not sure what it all means please know that I am here. You can reach me at the following email or google chat address ar3volut1on777@gmail.com.
Or if you want to contact me through this site you can do so here.
Or reply to this or any post,I am here to share Christ crucified with all who seek Him.
Just know please if I can do anything to help you come to Christ let me know, talk to me and I will share the hope that fills me the love and joy that sustains me and the Savior who lives in me with you.
Last nights post was kinda heavy I know and I haven’t made it to the Romans study for this week yet, so I want to share a little pamphlet with you that I have found to be wonderful in helping me share the truth of what God is doing today with others. In the months since God opened my eyes to His instructions on how to study and understand scripture (2 Tim 2:15) I have realized just how confused I used to be. I was all over the place spiritually, I know cause I’ve been reading over some of my early posts and sheesh I was jacked up! I had the basics down but when it came to the rightly dividing well not so much. I was all over the place in Israel’s plan (you know the weeks I was convinced we were going through the Tribulation, that was a rough time for me, just being honest, my faith was rock solid but I still wasn’t looking forward to it and a tiny part of me wanted to sell everything, buy a camper and bug out in the wilderness somewhere now to get ready to wait it out, thankfully God smacked some sense back in me and I instantly figured a lot out about what applies to us the Body of Christ.) And teaching Paul’s stuff mixed in. Anyway I am slowly going back and doing a reboot of some of those old posts to fix them and deleting the ones beyond fixing. Okay I’m not sure how I got on that tangent other than to apologize to you all for anything I may have taught that was not correct for this dispensation of the grace of God however sincerely I may have meant it. I want to be helpers of your joy not bring you confusion or lead any astray. So with that let’s get to the Secret Document- I’m just gonna share it as a series of images, it’ll be a little more interesting than me typing it out. It is written by Thomas Bruscha and if anyone would like a copy you can get it at forgottentruths.com.
I’m studying up on a lot of things right now, so I haven’t forgotten our Walk on the Romans Road but since my husband began classes with Grace School of the Bible I’ve changed my study habits somewhat . I am helping him and studying with him so I am progressing at the classes pace through Romans so those will be every few weeks as we finish each chapter. I am also reading Acts Dispensationally Considered by C. R. Stam among other things and tonight I want to talk about something that was really an Ah! Now I get it moment for me yesterday. Pentecost was NOT the birth or conception of the Body of Christ or the church today!
I know, you’re like “Say what! You’re crazy woman.” I know I have always heard and thus believed and taught in the past that the church of today was conceived at Pentecost almost 2,000 years ago. I was wrong and I am sorry. Now I’m setting the record straight and showing you through Scripture how there is absolutely no way that what occurred that Pentecost day way back when could have ever had anything to do with the church the Body of Christ during this the dispensation of the grace of God. Are you ready?
Most Christians and Catholics today erroneously believe that Pentecost marked the historical beginning of the Church of this dispensation, otherwise known as the Body of Christ. This error is made based on the premise that the so called “great commission” contains the orders of conduct for the church today. But that premise is wrong and so is any conclusion drawn from it. It only leads to confusion and contention among the members of the body. There is absolutely no Scriptural basis for saying the Body of Christ began with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, and I’ll show you through God’s word why Pentecost isn’t the birth of the Body of Christ and the age of grace as well as show you what is our birth.
Nowhere in the account of Pentecost is the body of Christ mentioned, not once. This makes perfect sense when you consider that the body wasn’t even being formed yet. It was still a mystery hidden in God waiting for Israel to reject not just their Messiah but the Holy Spirit as well. That won’t happen for almost a year, at the stoning of Stephen. The first mention of the body is in Paul’s epistles.
Pentecost was an exclusively Jewish feast day in no way related to the body of Christ. Seriously, that feast is all about their redemption as a nation, as Israel, not as a church.
Considering that Pentecost was a Jewish feast it makes sense that the only people we see Peter address are Jews their for the feast. Let’s look at some of the scripture here to see what I mean.
See – Jews, men of Judea and Jerusalem, men of Israel and house of Israel; Pete was talking to Jews and Jewish proselytes. Read the full account you won’t find one single gentile mentioned, nada, zilch, nota one! But the Body of Christ is “one new man ” made up of both Jews and Gentiles as equals reconciled to God in one body, the result of the breaking down of the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile erected with Abraham and later Moses.
The Jew, like the Gentile, had to be alienated from God before both could be reconciled to Him in one body. This is why Israel as God’s chosen nation had to be set aside before God could offer reconciliation to the world and form the Body of Christ.
Romans 11:15 above is directly in connection with “the reconciling of the world.”
God’s dealings with Israel at Pentecost show that at that point they were not yet set aside, they were still the chosen ones, the golden nation. He had not yet concluded them in unbelief or put them in a very long time out yet.
Which brings us to a very key point, the kingdom of heaven that John the Baptist, Jesus and the twelve has not actually been offered to Israel yet, that is actually what begins at Pentecost and what the great commission afore mentioned means. That commission is found at the end of Matthew and Luke as well as the first chapter of Acts. In each instance the Lord gives more information about what He told them before he ascended in glory to heaven. Basically it was take salvation to the world through the Jews, who come first. Start in Jerusalem and work out going only to the Jews first then after to the Gentiles. That’s the great commission in a nut shell, it’s all about Israel. Acts 2:30-39 and 3:19-21 show Pentecost was all about the Jews not the Body which hadn’t even been revealed yet.
At Pentecost there were always two loaves (Lev 23:17) symbolizing Israel and Judah the two houses of the nation that would be brought together in the kingdom but retain their separate identities. The Body however is always referred to as one – one loaf, one body, made up of all believers in the death burial and resurrection of Christ whether they be Jew or Gentiles all God sees is His Son.
“For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:17)
At Pentecost the disciples were baptized with, or in, the Spirit for power (Acts 1:8) this is very different from the baptism by the Spirit into Christ and His body we have today. It bears noting that Jesus Christ himself was the Baptizer at Pentecost, baptizing his people with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:7-8). Today however the Holy Spirit is the Baptizer, baptizing believers unto Christ and His body. (Galatians 3:27-28, 1 Corinthians 12/13).
And finally at Pentecost only Jews were baptized with, or in, the Holy Spirit. Obviously this couldn’t be the baptism by which “one Spirit ” baptizes believers “unto one body, whether they be Jews or Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 12:13), now could it?
Okay I’ve clearly shown through the scriptures that Pentecost was not the birth of the Body of Christ the church of today the age of grace. So when were we born? Our conception was the moment Saul saw Christ glorified from heaven and was saved. When he cried out “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” in that instant Saul became Paul (His Roman name) and the chief of sinners became the first member of the Body of Christ. From that day forward he set about adding members daily to the Body and we should be doing the same. Not jacking up the Gospel Christ gave to Paul by adding in Israel’s stuff just focus on what God gave to us for our dispensation and be fruitful and faithful to Him.
This poem by C. T. Studd certainly brought conviction to my heart. I pray my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ that your hearts may be touched and strengthened by these words.
Only One Life
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee
Earlier this year my husband and I spent some time contemplating the post tribulation rapture point of view and what it would mean for us as believers; whether we should just hide and try to wait it out or keep watching and working for Jesus awaiting his return regardless of when that will be. Obviously if I am wrong about the rapture being a pre-tribulation event it’s not going to affect my faith. I know that it would be my interpretation of God’s Word that was wrong not God, God will still be good all the time and my only hope will still be in Jesus my Lord and Savior. My eyes will always be looking up, longing to see Him and ever be with the Lord. I will always keep watching, patiently waiting.
I think our reading of Pilgrim’s Progress a week or so ago first put us in a mood of contemplation of tribulations, not the end times kind but just the ones all followers of Christ are subject to. Then when a preacher we listen for his creationist studies switched his stance to post tribulation it led to discussion of the possibility however unlikely it seems.
How should we approach the coming days, weeks, years as believers regardless of our rapture stance? Should we be preparing to go through it, preparing for post but hoping for pre, for a saving from that time of trouble and tribulation that is fast approaching? While I still believe in a pre tribulation rapture because of the promise
given to us the body of Christ:
I also look at the preceding verses to that promise:
As well as this passage in 1 Corinthians:
These clearly describe a catching away of believers and 2 Thessalonians is very clear that our gathering together unto Him will occur before the man of sin or Antichrist comes on the scene, which occurs during Daniel’s 70th week, the Tribulation period.
I believe we will be raptured to our Lord’s presence before the 70th week of Daniel begins, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, but I also think it would behoove me to be preparing as if I didn’t. To live always ready for his imminent return while being prepared to survive persecution and tribulation while contending earnestly for the faith always looking expectantly to my eternal reward with my sweet Lord. I realize that Jesus is my only hope not the rapture and that as long as I am living for Him, walking ever closer with Him, ever looking up watching and waiting expectantly for His return then I am ready for anything because my strength lies not in me but in Him and He has sworn never to leave nor forsake me, or you! How will you choose to live the rest of your time here in this earthly home?
If you are not sure then I pray that this edifying devotional from Spurgeon will encourage you to choose to live for the only hope you will have – Jesus the only begotten Son of God the Father, Jesus the Way the Truth and the Life, Jesus our only hope. If you have already decided and you answered like me that it’s all about Jesus regardless and you want to live every second you have here growing the kingdom there then I pray you find this as encouraging as I do. Stand strong and keep fighting the good fight my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ!
“Blessed is he that watcheth.” — Rev 16:15
“We die daily,” said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer of the world-that is little; its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse. Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear, the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in him. I fear me that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times. We must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing, unless our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces, but not the true-born children of the living God. Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardour; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display his omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher, “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
So we’ve looked at the historical and doctrinal applications for Romans 1:22-25 now we’re going to look at the spiritual or practical application for us today. Tonight is gonna be a hard night and I make no apologies for pointing out what the word of God says. Yes it is graphic and it is not politically correct but it is truth nonetheless. We will be adding the remaining passages of Romans 1 to get the full implications and see just what God says about those who think they are wise and love the creature instead of God which makes them utter fools.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:22-32)
There’s no sweet way to say this folks but this passage is a hardcore condemnation on the sin nature of man to worship everything God created but scorn and reject the Creator Himself. That covers every false religion in man’s history. Going back to the Tower of Babel with the worship of Semiramis and Osiris or mother and child worship which boils down to worshiping the sun, moon and stars at it’s basis to modern religions like Islam, Catholicism, all polytheistic religions and the religion of evolution (and yes evolution is a faith based theory the very definition of religion). All of these have at their roots a worship of creation be it the earth and nature, the sky and space, or mankind, they all change the truth of God in to a lie and for this rebellion God gives them what they want – he gives them over to the lie and to their lusts. And when man starts worshipping animals he starts acting like them. God gives us in embarrassing detail the consequences of rejecting Him, its utter depravity, homosexuality, beastiality, and every form of sexual perversion imaginable along with the results of those perversions.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet for working that which was inconvenient- that’s disease people, and the natural consequences of the death of mankind in the earth because although they claim to worship nature they leave the natural way God created for reproduction and instead men burn in their lust for other men and women for women which we all know two roosters can’t make an egg!
Today men reject God and a quick look around shows we are smack in the natural consequences of that rejection, humans are a jacked up hopeless mess and God knows it, it’s why He had to put meat on and come down in the form of His precious Son to take our sins on himself and pay our debt so we could be saved. So we could be fixed, healed, made righteous. Even the nation he separated for himself and gave the law to show them the way, giving them covenant promises and everything, they still blew it. For goodness sake they didn’t even recognize Him when he came to them. He fulfilled literally to the letter hundreds of prophecies they had spent their lives studying and they still missed it. They were so caught up in their own ideas and traditions of what the Messiah would be that they blew it, that’s called becoming a fool. And it describes each of us, at least before we accept the Gospel of the grace of God that Christ gave to Paul and he faithfully wrote the very words the glorified Christ from heaven told him to write so that we have them today. That Christ was crucified for our sins, buried and rose the third day for our justification. When we believe that truth, believe in that gift of God we are saved that second. Saved eternally for the Holy Spirit enters us then sealing us until the day of redemption. (That’s the resurrection and catching away of the body of Christ). The moment of that sealing is our baptism into Christ, being made members of his body and sons of God. That’s our only hope and if it’s something you’ve never done or your not sure you’ve done then I beseech you to do so now. This moment trust Christ to save you. He is faithful and sure, when we trust in His sure faith we are secure, trust Him!
Christ that saves us is coming one day soon for those who are His here on earth. Those who are members of His body who stand as Paul did proclaiming the Truth and the final giving up will come when the body of Christ is caught up or raptured to be with the Lord in the air and the world is plunged into chaos as God picks back up dealing with Israel and Daniels 70th week, the advent of the kingdom of heaven, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, begins once more. Man will be given over to the ultimate result of his rebellion the Wrath of God. But believers in the body of Christ saved today during this the age of grace won’t face that, I won’t face that. Will you?
A R3VOLUT1ON 