"To Your Face"

"And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face."  Deuteronomy 7:10

The word this morning is not "to" the born-again follower of Christ, but it is "for" them. 

It is "to" the wicked, the lost, the unsaved person who is rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and who is in rebellion against God.  It is to the one who hates God, is in opposition to Him, who is mocking Him and refusing Him.  To you He says He will repay your wickedness, your hate of Him and your rebellion against Him.  He will repay you to your face.  This means you will stand before Him face to face one day and He will judge you and pass sentence on you.  You will receive eternal punishment in hell-- where the fire is not quenched, and the worm never dies.  "The wages of sin is death."  You will hear those irreversible words, "Depart from Me, into everlasting fire."  Your judgment will be set.  You will receive the payment you rightfully deserve for your sins.  It will be too late.  You will be tormented forever and ever. 

It is a word "for" those who are true followers of Christ.  It is a word to remind us that we are to be busy fulfilling the Great Commission that our Lord Jesus told us to do- for the reasons all stated above to the wicked.  We are to be warning the wicked man of his wicked way.  We are to be snatching the lost souls from the flames of hell.  We are to be sharing the good news with them that Jesus saves.  We are to be offering them a way of escape from the eternal judgment that awaits them.  We need to remember that this is their only hope and if we don't tell them, who will.  How will they know?   We can't forget that this is the whole reason why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross-- to seek and to save those who are lost. 

All have sinned.  There are no righteous people.  We all deserve eternal judgment.  We are all going to stand before God one day-- face to face.  We all deserve to hear those words- "Depart from Me".  But because of Jesus we have the opportunity to receive forgiveness and eternal life-- if we don't reject Him.  The lost need to know this.  They need to know what awaits them in their lost condition, but they need to know that it doesn't have to be like that because Jesus made a way.  He made the way so that when we do stand face to face before God, we will not stand there facing His wrath or judgment, but His blessings-- "Enter into the joy of your Lord." 

Have a great day.  We will all stand before God one day.  What will He tell you to your face?
 
For further reading:
Matthew 25:21,41
Mark 9:44
Luke 19:10
Ezekiel 3:18
Romans 6:23

"Who Understands?"

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."  2 Timothy 2:7

"The Lord give thee understanding in all things."  This morning, I feel the Lord wants to give you some understanding in the area of His understanding. 

 

Understanding as defined in the dictionary means:  a mental grasp; the power of comprehending.  Often, we accuse others of not understanding what we are going through.  And true enough, many times we don't understand.  But we also accuse God of not understanding when we are going through difficult situations.  The understanding, and enlightenment, He wants to give you this morning is--- He does understand!

 

He understands your broken heart.  He understands your confusion.  He understands your hurt and pain.  He understands your grief.  He understands your strained relationship.  He understands your sorrow.  He understands your betrayal by someone you love.  He understands your rejection.  He understands your suffering.  He understands your loneliness.  He understands every human emotion you have.  Because He either encountered it Himself while He was on earth, or He was tempted in the same thing.

 

I may not know how you feel and what you are experiencing but rest assured Jesus does.  It is far better that Jesus understands than it is for me to understand-- because He has the power to do something about it, I don't.  He has the power to give you strength, grace, peace, joy, wisdom, contentment, forgiveness, direction, comfort, provision and anything else you may need in walking through this situation.  So, understand today, that He really does understand. 

 

Have a great day.  Jesus understands what you are going through, and He is the only One who needs to understand because He is the only One who has the power to help you.   

 

For further reading:

Hebrews 4:15  

"Understanding God's Word"

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."  Psalm 119:18

Have you heard anyone say-- I just can't understand the Bible when I read it?  Perhaps you have said it yourself.  God intends for us to understand it or He would not have given it to us.  But at the same time, it is not just any natural book, its words are "spirit" and "life".  Jesus even said, when He spoke in parables to the people, that it was given unto the disciples (followers) of His to know the mysteries in His word but not unto those who are not. 

He wants you to know His word and understand it.  He wants you to apply it to your life.  If you can't understand it, how can you apply it?  Therefore, you pray the same prayer above that the Psalmist prayed-- "Open my eyes, that I may see the wondrous things in your Word."  He was praying that his spiritual eyes would be open, and the eyes of his spiritual understanding would be enlightened. 

If you are having a hard time comprehending God's Word, don't give up.  Don't cast it aside.  That is what the enemy of your soul wants you to do.  Pray and ask God to give you the understanding.  After all, He is the Author, therefore, He can help you understand it. 

Have a great day.  Don't give up reading God's Word just because you don't understand it.  Ask God to tell you what it means-- He will.

For further reading:
Matthew 13:10-12

"Behind And Before"

"Thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me."  Psalm 139:5

Just a word to remind you this morning-- Never fear, child of God, He is always with you.  You are not alone.  He is in front of you-- leading the way as you allow Him to.  Follow Him, trusting that He knows where He is going, and where He is leading you.  He is behind you-- taking up the rear.  Protecting you from the enemies' attacks that would try to sneak up behind you and blindside you. 

We see Him doing this when the children of Israel came out of Egypt.  He went before them leading them, and was a covering of protection from Pharaoh and his army behind them.  He is still the same.  He did it for them, He will-- and does-- do it for you.  So know today that no matter where you are and what you are walking through-- He is with you.  He is before you and behind you and has His hand upon you.

Have a great day.  You are totally surrounded by the Lord. 

"Are You A Christian?"

"... And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Acts 11:26

When I ask you if you are a Christian, I am not asking you if you are a Baptist, or Methodist, or Assembly of God, or a member of any other denomination.  I am not asking you what church you attend.  I am not asking you if you have joined a church.  I am not asking you if you have shaken the preacher's hand.  I am not asking you if you have been water baptized.  I am not asking you if you have walked an aisle at church.  I am not asking you if you sing in the choir at a church.  I am not asking you if you are a good person, or if you pay your taxes, or if you don't beat your wife, or if you have a job.  I am not even asking you if you read the Bible, pray or believe that God is real.   

When I ask people if they are a Christian, these are some of the answers I have received.  When I ask you if you are a Christian, what I want to know is whether Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord.  I don't want some answer that includes various religious behavior or activity that you participate in.  Instead, tell me, are you following Jesus?  Is He in control of your life?  Does He have the "steering wheel" and "driver seat" of your life?  Are you more concerned about pleasing Him than you are about pleasing yourself or others?  Does your lifestyle show it?  Is your life a reflection of who He is?  Do others see Him in you or do they hear an empty profession that is not backed up by any proof?  Is your life surrendered to Him and His will?  Are you loving Him and serving Him with your whole heart?  Are you denying yourself and living for Him?  Do all the comments you post on Face Book always line up with your profession of being a Christian?  Are you the same no matter where you are or who you are with, or are you a "different" person in church and on Sunday than you are the rest of the week-- on your job, in the classroom, at a social gathering? 

You can profess to be something but that doesn't mean that you are what you profess.  You can believe "in" God, and Jesus, but that doesn't make you a Christian-- even the devils believe in Him, but they don't love, serve or follow Him.  There is a children's song that we use to sing that says, "If you're saved and you know it then your life will surely show it."  There are so many people who say they are "saved/Christians" but their lives don't attest to what they profess.  In other words, their lives don't "line up".  The Word Christian means "Christ-like".  There is nothing that is "Christi-like" in their behavior or lifestyle. 

It is amazing to me that almost everyone I ask if they are a Christian says they are.  That means that the majority of people are Christians.  It means there are a lot of Christians-- more that are than aren't.  That isn't right.  Jesus said that those who were true Christians were on a straight and narrow road and that there were few of them.  He also said that there are many more who are on the broad wide way that leads to destruction than there are that are on the road leading to heaven and eternal life.  If you are professing to be a Christian, you better be sure you know what that really means.  You better make sure you are among the few who really are than the many who aren't but think they are.

Have a great day.  When I ask you if you are a Christian, how will you answer that question?

For further reading:
Matthew 7:13,14