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  “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17) That...is one of those NT verses you may hear quoted from time to time for ‘dramatic effect’ in a sermon...but then we move on to other things and fail to give serious consideration as to what Peter was trying to convey there. I mean just that somber inference to those who don’t ‘obey the gospel of God’...what does ‘obedience’ have to do with any of this much talked about ‘faith alone’ we hear about all the time? (Luke 6:46; Heb. 5:9; 2 Thess. 1:8). “Obey....the gospel?” How many of you were taught early on that just meant to ‘really believe in your heart’...and that you would be ‘fine’; no need to worry!? What is there to ‘obey’ besides ‘accept and believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God’? Well, for starters, the demons ‘believe’ and they tremble. (James 2:19) Or perhaps you are in the sc...
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  When King Josiah heard the law read to him, I mean when he really ‘heard it’... and possibly for the first time in his life...it did something within him; it produced a response and then an immediate reaction. Brokenness and repentance was the first ‘fruits’. He ‘tore his clothes’ (2 Kings 22:11). This was no small gesture as it signified a sense of deep grief...repentance of the heart, and an awakening of alarm upon realizing that Judah had been breaking God’s law, and in the most severe way. Josiah also realized that breaking covenant with God invites divine judgment. (see Rom. 2:1-3) This tearing of his clothes was a physical and outward response that acknowledged guilt which in turn led to immediate reforms. A ’modern day’ example as to how one might/should respond when they ‘hear the law’ for the first time...can be found in James 4. After calling out double-minded 'believers', even accusing them of being ‘adulterers’ (4) because of their love for the ‘world’...Jame...
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  About that ‘renovation project’ I left off with yesterday, and the work that was being done to repair God’s holy temple there in Jerusalem... Like any physical building that exists, especially homes that are well ‘used’...maintenance and upkeep are a way of life, and necessary if you want to maintain the integrity of that building for any length of time. Yes, it can and will be costly; and if you think you can ‘cut corners’ along the way, let me assure you that somewhere down the road, you will pay for it. But regarding the poor conditions of the temple that King Josiah was having renovated, the likely causes were due to decades of abuse and neglect. Keeping in mind what the ‘temple’ that God dwells in today (us)...have you ever wondered why so many professing ‘Christians’ talk about the need and desire for personal and even corporate ‘revival’? Why do so many believers admit to ‘feeling dry’...or ‘empty ... asking God to ‘restore the joy of their salvation’? (Ps. 51:12). Why d...
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  God’s people were seduced, and led astray by the very king(s) He allowed to rise to power. (2 Kings 21:1-2,9; Dan. 2:21; Prov. 21:1). And if you think God does not operate (allow things) like that to happen anymore... you might give 2 Thess. 2:9-12 another read over. Let me give you a moment or two to ponder this. Hopefully, you read yesterday’s message as we are attempting to gain a better understanding of the link between the God of the old testament and the very same God of the new testament, whom Jesus embodied (Heb. 1:1-2; Col. 1:15). I even left you with a short reading assignment to prepare for today’s message, found in 2 Kings 21. I’m wondering if anyone made good use of the highlighter I recommended having on hand for that read? We learn in that text ...of the rise of king Manasseh who took the throne at the young age of 12, succeeding his father, Hezekiah. Manasseh’s reign lasted 55 years and we are told that from the very start...”he did much evil in the sight of th...
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  We read in Acts 17:11 that the Bereans, to whom Paul and Silas were sent to deliver the gospel message... were ‘fair-minded’...”in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” I would hope anyone reading this today knows that the ‘scriptures’ they were searching through was NOT the ‘new testament’ that we have today; rather it was the law and writings of the prophets of old that they studied in their synagogues. These would also be the same scriptures that Jesus ‘opened their understanding to’, as we learn in Luke 24:32,45. The four gospels and miscellaneous letters that make up our New Testament came about much later, under the oversight and leading of the Holy Spirit to give us our complete Bible today which consist of both New and Old Testaments. I only point this out to remind you that I am not asking anyone to just believe and take to heart what I write here daily. On the contrary...I would imp...
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  God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn anyone. The truth of the matter is- we were already ‘condemned’ because all of us had sinned (Rom. 3:23; John 3:36). Jesus came in order that we might be ‘saved’...and saved from the wrath of God that was, is, and continues to be on this world today. (John 3:17-18; Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 5:9) Let me also say...I am fully aware that it is beyond my power or ability to convince anyone to ‘believe’ what I am sharing here; but God has not called me to persuade anyone of anything. My only compelling I have is to share from our beloved Bibles with anyone who ‘has ears to hear’ and is willing to pick up and look these verses up for themselves ...and see what is clearly written in these pages. What anyone does with this information is between them and God.  I know if you have been reading here for any length of time...it seems I write often about God’s ‘law and wrath’. And that seems so ‘old fashioned’ and out of date. People aren’t inte...
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  I’m guessing it has to be a universal game we’ve all played at some point in our early years of childhood, and one that I currently play with my 4-year old grandsons even today. You know, the one where you try to maneuver through the rooms of your house without falling into the ‘lava’? So you crawl over chairs and sofas and place pillows strategically around on the floors so you can make your way through unscathed. I think we also included ‘quicksand’ when we were boys, but that was because our dad raised us on the early B&W Tarzan movies IYKYK. But the idea is pretty simple and clear...you take any missteps and off into the lava you go, unless someone is close by and can ‘save’ you quick enough. It all boils down (no pun intended) to knowing where to walk or where to step to avoid falling to your peril. Have you ever watched someone traverse a stream or small river and it appears they are ‘walking on water’? Truth be told- they know where to step on the rocks that lie jus...
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