Declaring War on God: Part 1
"Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." -John 14:6
If there is one truth America needs to learn, it is this: God is real, He is ruling and reigning King over all, High and exalted above everything there is, and He is not afraid to send to Hell those who do not believe in Him. Ouch! Not exactly the walking around in a dress, hugging people, throwing out Zen-like fortune cookie statements Jesus. You know, riding a unicorn. He’s just not, that’s not Jesus! He is resurrected from death, ruling and reigning, living in heaven, judging the living, and the dead, BIG Jesus.
Our view of God is short sighted, and uneducated. Some of our practices are to keep Him in a little box as a god who makes a feel good when we need him to, who possess all the right characteristics we need for him to fit like love, and tolerance, grace, and mercy. Here's the problem with that, we are picking one attribute of Jesus that suits our definition of what He should be and make it His totality. While He is a loving Savior, He is also one of jealousy, wrath, and anger. You see, we as Christians follow Jesus who was crucified for being intolerant. Did you know that? Do you know what He can't tolerate? Sin. But that's why He died. Sin is declaring war on God! So should we as Christians tolerate it? Should we be more tolerable than God? No! If we were then what good is the gift of repentance and salvation? Repentance says, "I can't st and the sin I commit, I'm sorry, Father, I turn from it!" The more we repent, the more we are changed into being what God created us to be. We learn to hate sin. The goals in our churches especially should be that we welcome people to change. The mission statement at my church is, "Love and lead everyone we meet into an everyday walk with Christ." In order to have an everyday walk with Christ, things have to change. Change not just for the nonbeliever, but for the Christian as well. It is the doctrine of regeneration; Jesus doing something in us. When He changes us from the inside out. What our new heart results. It's also Jesus doing something through us. We are saved to our works of obedience, and sacrifice. Take note, obedience is always better than sacrifice. This is when we are producing fruit, resulting in repentance. We are all the time being pruned, hence why the Christian is invited to change. It is through this that we choose either God or Satan, we can't have both. We can't serve two masters. To fall into this is easy, especially when we get on the topic of tolerance of sin and other such things. We hang onto what we like about each master and try to coexist, and it doesn't work that way. That's what is so offensive, the truth. While we should not be offensive toward people as we talk to them about the Lord, we should offend! If you don't there must not be much truth packed into what you are saying. As the saying goes, "Woe to them who is always liked." The gospel requires us to disagree with someone to evangelize them, and like we said earlier, invite them to change.
Jesus invites us to come hang out with Him at dinner, and not just any dinner, but a wedding feast! And not just for one evening, but for eternity. We read about this in Matthew 22:1-14
We see Jesus is inviting us to change. He sent out three invitations, and each was ignored, and rejected. People want to keep living their lifestyle, look into their Jesus box everyonce in a while, make sure he's still there. Then they smile because they are convinced that, "God is love, and He made me this way, and everybody needs to be nice like God, and tolerate me." People actually think this attitude is okay to have. It's what James calls being double minded, and in turn we end up deceiving ourselves.
We see we are being invited to Salvation. (v.11) The king noticed there was a man who wasn't clothed for a wedding. Zechariah 3:1-5 is the perfect picture of salvation, God is clothing Jeshua is new clothes, no longer listening to the accusations Satan is bringing forth about Jeshua. God has saved Him from the fire, and washed his sins away, see also, (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17). We change clothes when we come to Jesus. He clothes us in His Righteousness, this is representing, NEW LIFE, "behold the old is gone and the new has come!" Jesus is the only one who has the power and authority to save us, and He is the only one who can throw them who do not belong to Him in Hell. (v.13-14) This is literally fire and brimstone, wrath of God truth! Here's the thing, we cannot grip His grace, love, and mercy if we do not see it against the backdrop of His wrath. (v. 7)
Christians we see that there is a price to be paid for being faithful to god and His truth's. Many before us, and even to this day have paid the ultimate price of their life. (v.6) Our lives as Christians may not be the easiest, but it's the happiest. We are living in His truth, and don't have to face His wrath, Jesus already took the Father's wrath for us. Those who have rejected Jesus have declared war on God. (v.7) He sends out armies to destroy those who persecute His people and mock His name.
You have been sent an invitation, maybe several. Don't ignore Him any longer. Don't remain tolerant of your sin, and the sin around you. don't keep walking around in the same dirty clothes you have been wearing for years! God desires to give you a brand new set of clothes that He washes everyday. God say's through Isaiah,
You've just received another invitation, what will you do?
If there is one truth America needs to learn, it is this: God is real, He is ruling and reigning King over all, High and exalted above everything there is, and He is not afraid to send to Hell those who do not believe in Him. Ouch! Not exactly the walking around in a dress, hugging people, throwing out Zen-like fortune cookie statements Jesus. You know, riding a unicorn. He’s just not, that’s not Jesus! He is resurrected from death, ruling and reigning, living in heaven, judging the living, and the dead, BIG Jesus.
Our view of God is short sighted, and uneducated. Some of our practices are to keep Him in a little box as a god who makes a feel good when we need him to, who possess all the right characteristics we need for him to fit like love, and tolerance, grace, and mercy. Here's the problem with that, we are picking one attribute of Jesus that suits our definition of what He should be and make it His totality. While He is a loving Savior, He is also one of jealousy, wrath, and anger. You see, we as Christians follow Jesus who was crucified for being intolerant. Did you know that? Do you know what He can't tolerate? Sin. But that's why He died. Sin is declaring war on God! So should we as Christians tolerate it? Should we be more tolerable than God? No! If we were then what good is the gift of repentance and salvation? Repentance says, "I can't st and the sin I commit, I'm sorry, Father, I turn from it!" The more we repent, the more we are changed into being what God created us to be. We learn to hate sin. The goals in our churches especially should be that we welcome people to change. The mission statement at my church is, "Love and lead everyone we meet into an everyday walk with Christ." In order to have an everyday walk with Christ, things have to change. Change not just for the nonbeliever, but for the Christian as well. It is the doctrine of regeneration; Jesus doing something in us. When He changes us from the inside out. What our new heart results. It's also Jesus doing something through us. We are saved to our works of obedience, and sacrifice. Take note, obedience is always better than sacrifice. This is when we are producing fruit, resulting in repentance. We are all the time being pruned, hence why the Christian is invited to change. It is through this that we choose either God or Satan, we can't have both. We can't serve two masters. To fall into this is easy, especially when we get on the topic of tolerance of sin and other such things. We hang onto what we like about each master and try to coexist, and it doesn't work that way. That's what is so offensive, the truth. While we should not be offensive toward people as we talk to them about the Lord, we should offend! If you don't there must not be much truth packed into what you are saying. As the saying goes, "Woe to them who is always liked." The gospel requires us to disagree with someone to evangelize them, and like we said earlier, invite them to change.
Jesus invites us to come hang out with Him at dinner, and not just any dinner, but a wedding feast! And not just for one evening, but for eternity. We read about this in Matthew 22:1-14
“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
We see Jesus is inviting us to change. He sent out three invitations, and each was ignored, and rejected. People want to keep living their lifestyle, look into their Jesus box everyonce in a while, make sure he's still there. Then they smile because they are convinced that, "God is love, and He made me this way, and everybody needs to be nice like God, and tolerate me." People actually think this attitude is okay to have. It's what James calls being double minded, and in turn we end up deceiving ourselves.
We see we are being invited to Salvation. (v.11) The king noticed there was a man who wasn't clothed for a wedding. Zechariah 3:1-5 is the perfect picture of salvation, God is clothing Jeshua is new clothes, no longer listening to the accusations Satan is bringing forth about Jeshua. God has saved Him from the fire, and washed his sins away, see also, (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17). We change clothes when we come to Jesus. He clothes us in His Righteousness, this is representing, NEW LIFE, "behold the old is gone and the new has come!" Jesus is the only one who has the power and authority to save us, and He is the only one who can throw them who do not belong to Him in Hell. (v.13-14) This is literally fire and brimstone, wrath of God truth! Here's the thing, we cannot grip His grace, love, and mercy if we do not see it against the backdrop of His wrath. (v. 7)
Christians we see that there is a price to be paid for being faithful to god and His truth's. Many before us, and even to this day have paid the ultimate price of their life. (v.6) Our lives as Christians may not be the easiest, but it's the happiest. We are living in His truth, and don't have to face His wrath, Jesus already took the Father's wrath for us. Those who have rejected Jesus have declared war on God. (v.7) He sends out armies to destroy those who persecute His people and mock His name.
You have been sent an invitation, maybe several. Don't ignore Him any longer. Don't remain tolerant of your sin, and the sin around you. don't keep walking around in the same dirty clothes you have been wearing for years! God desires to give you a brand new set of clothes that He washes everyday. God say's through Isaiah,
“Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
I made him a leader among the nations.
5 You also will command nations you do not know,
and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey,
because I, the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
7 Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
You've just received another invitation, what will you do?
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