Can You Hear God's Heart?

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.  Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.  But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.  Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!  I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.  Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him and their fate would last forever.  But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”  Psalm 81:10-16

My, oh my, can you hear God's heart here?!  This really hit me as I read this Psalm. “...open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” I could hear Jesus saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28) I could hear James saying, “...you have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2) 

Upon reflection near the end of his life David said, “ I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." (Psalm 37:25 KJV)

Can you hear his utter disappointment as He talked about how His people would not listen to Him? How He had to let them go, let them return to their foolish selfish lusts? He laments over this with a heaviness I had not picked up on previously, as I did this morning. Though the KJV says “should have” it is better rendered as “I would.” God is saying if they would obey then I would bless.

Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  God's blessing always follows obedience. Obedience brings blessing. But I think the Christian who is called, even commanded, to love the Lord with all their heart should WANT TO obey God, to please Him, and to avoid grieving Him.  He is clearly grieved in this Psalm.

May it begin with me!

Do I REALLY Know God?

“They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works.  They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”  Titus 1:16

As we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through His Word we begin to see what a true believer looks  like, and what the Scriptures have to say about the fruit a person claiming to have a personal relationship with God ought to be bearing.  Sometimes, there are professions which seem to ring hollow.

Along this Christian walk I encounter people who say they are believers in Christ when in fact their lives seem to reflect a very different reality.  I would not presume to know their hearts, nor do I wish to cast judgment upon them.  As a friend of mine said just yesterday, “I don’t want to offer unsolicited advice” and whether or not to say something is always answered by seeking the Lord.  I believe this is, at least in part, the result of the fruit of a poor presentation of the gospel message that had little or no focus upon the need for repentance, God’s hatred of sin and the person’s need to be on their face before God, wanting to RUN from their old ways and be utterly transformed.  A change of mind, resulting in a change of behavior which is what repentance is, coupled with believing and trusting the person and finished work of Christ is how a person becomes born again, is made a new creation, is in Christ and no longer in Adam.   

Changing your mind and trusting in Christ are two sides of the same coin, neither of which can take place apart from the other.  Too many false conversions have taken place because this is preached and taught.  But that’s for another day…

When dealing with strangers in a witnessing encounter, here is a question I like to pose to people as an opener and the answer is often quite telling: “If you died today and stood before God in heaven and He asked you, “Why should I let you in?” what would you say?” The array of answers is a testament to the ignorance of the bible. Satan is quite crafty in twisting the simple truth of the gospel.  After all, a little leaven leavens the whole lump.  Hath God said??

In a sermon I heard from John MacArthur in quoting  someone whose name I forget said:

"Why call ye Me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say?  

You call Me the Way and walk Me not.  

You call Me the Life and live Me not.  

You call Me Master and obey Me not.  

You call Me Bread and eat Me not.

You call Me Truth and believe Me not.  

You call Me Lord and serve Me not. 

If I condemn thee, blame Me not!”

Equal With God?

Did Jesus really claim to be God in human form?  Did His followers later invent such a claim?

As I read the biblical account of the life and ministry of Jesus, there was no doubt in my mind who Jesus declared Himself to be. As I share the gospel more and more with people I run into many who are skeptics and argue that Jesus never made such claims. I thought I would put together a few notes which may help you with your own encounters with such skeptics. Always keep in mind that faith comes by way of the Word of God, according to Romans 10:17.  Clever arguments never won a soul for Christ so you will find none attempted here. 

You may wish to have your Bible ready because if I write out each verse I refer to, this will be far too long. Jesus often spoke of His unique origin; from above.  John 6:62, 8:23.  In His priestly prayer in John 17, verse 5 he speaks to this. In John 16:28 He told His disciples He came from His Father, and would return. Most noteworthy is the way John begins his gospel account, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

How about Jesus assuming the perogatives of deity?  We see His control over the eternal destinies of people in John 8:24. Compare with Luke 12:8, 9; John 5:22, 27-29, to have power of answered prayer (John 14:13, 14; 14:24; cf. (means 'compare with' and I will hereafter use this) Acts 7:59; 9:10-17).  Jesus assumed right over receive worship due only to God Himself (Mt. 21:16; John 14:1; cf. John 5:23). Jesus forgave sins (Mark 2:5-11) which those who opposed Him clearly understood only God could do (look at verse 7).

Here are some interesting points: Jesus called God's Kingdom, His Kingdom (Mt. 13:41; 16:28; cf. Luke 1:33; II Tim 4:1). He called God's angels His angels (Gen. 28:12; Lu. 12:8, 9; 15:10; John 1:51). Jesus called God's elect, His elect (Lu. 18:7; Ro. 8:33).

Jesus said to Philip in John 14, “He that has seen Me has seen the Father” (Vs. 9). How would you explain away John 10:30 where Jesus says, “I and my Father are one.”?  Notice in the next verse it says they picked up stones to stone Him. Why?  They understood precisely what He was saying. And they stated it plainly in verse 33.

The Jews would not even use the name of God, “I Am” (Yahweh) and refused to even pronounce it for fear of taking it in vain and violating Ex. 20:7. In John 8:24 Jesus warns that those who refuse to believe “...that I am he...” would die in their sins. The “he” in greek is added.

What about the issue of worship? Exodus 34:14 tells us worship belongs exclusively to God and yet Jesus did not rebuke worship offered to Him by His disciples (Mt. 14:33; 28:9, 10; John 20:28).

Jesus claimed absolute equality with God.  In Colossians 2:9, Paul talks about the fullness of the Godhead bodily and plainly called Him “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” in Titus 2:13.

Equal with God?   The biblical evidence is clear and undeniable!

Hell: Fact or Fiction?

Does Hell exist?

What does the Old Testament teach?

A proper biblical worldview includes a belief in a real, eternal, and physical hell. What do you believe?

It is very interesting to discover that there are more Bible verses about Hell than there are about Heaven. Here are a few verses in the Old Testament about Hell. Daniel 12:2 proclaims, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." Hell is described here as everlasting. Isaiah 66:24 declares, "And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against Me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." In this Scripture, hell is described as a place where the fire is not quenched. Deuteronomy 32:22 portrays hell as a place where God pours out His wrath, "For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; It shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." Psalms 55:15 illustrates hell as a realm of the wicked, "Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them."

What does the New Testament teach?

Does Hell Exist? If the clear teaching of the Old Testament is not enough, the New Testament has much to say as well. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tells us, "These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." Revelation 14:10-11, speaking of the antichrist, teaches us, "He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." Hell is a lake of burning fire, as described in Revelation 20:14-15, "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

What did Jesus say?

Some who argue that hell does not exist do so on the basis of their belief that Jesus taught love, peace, and forgiveness - and that He did not teach about an eternal place of fiery punishment for non-believers.  Truth be told, they are parroting what others have said and have neglected to do their own research.  With respect to their claims, however, the exact opposite is true. Jesus taught more about hell than anyone else in the Word of God. Jesus described hell as an unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12), a place of eternal fire, (Matthew 25:41)eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46), and as a place of torment, fire, and agony (Luke 16:23-24). Jesus taught specifically about hell many times in His ministry (Matthew 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:6; 16:23). Does Hell Exist - How is an eternity in Hell fair?

If Hell does exist, how can it be fair?

Why would a loving God punish a person for eternity, when their sins only took place for 70-80 years? The answer is that all sin is ultimately against God, who is infinite (Psalm 51:4). So, since God is an eternal and infinite Being, all sin is worthy of an infinite punishment.

Yes, God loves us (John 3:16) and wants all people to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). However, God is also just and righteous - He will not allow sin to go unpunished. That is why God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Jesus Christ's death was an infinite death, paying our infinite sin debt - so that we would not have to pay it in Hell for eternity (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

If we reject His gift of eternal life through faith and trust in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ, we will face the eternal consequences:  an eternity in a fiery hell. 

If you die tonight, will you spend eternity in the presence of God, or separated from him?  It’s the burning question…

Worry Ends Where Faith Begins

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB)

I think we would all agree that worry is commonplace, for the believer and unbeliever alike. Certainly in this believer's life it is.  I suspect the amount of money spent in this country on things like prescription drugs associated with anxieties is a good indication of this. To say nothing of the money spent on recreational drugs and alcohol beyond the occasional glass of wine. And with alcohol, I refer here to its abuse in excess, which is in violation of Ephesians 5:18, "be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess..."

We worry, and worry is a sin. It is neither insignificant, nor inconsequential. And let's be frank here, sin can be nothing less. Sin grieves the heart of God, but that is for another day... If you are using the KJV, it is worded in verses 25, 31 and 34 as "take no thought" and in the NIV it is more clearly understood in today's language as a command, "do not worry." As we ought to do in all cases, comparing scripture with scripture, we need not travel any further than Philippians 4:6, "do not be anxious about anything..." (NIV) to find a clear command, in any version.

A couple of points to consider as you are in the midst of worry:

Worry says, "God, I just don't trust You."

Worry says, "God, I don't believe You."

Worry says, "God, I am paralyzed by what is going on around me, and my future is thus in peril."

If it’s a sin, and we are to avoid it, be grieved by its presence in us, then what are we left with? I never find that God commands me NOT to do something without also being told what I should, yea, must do in its place, for His glory and my benefit.

If indeed the scriptures are true, and I believe they are, then you and I need only follow what God has told us to do in place of worry.  That is found following the command in Philippians 4:6 not to worry, but what?  Prayer, supplication and thanksgiving. For those who are not sure what supplication means, I'll define it: (maybe as I did, you would have to look it up) To make a humble, earnest petition; beg.

Praise God for Philippians 4:6, 7!  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."