The Lost Mandate of Heaven, Part 1F [Ideas Series, #6]

Matthew 11:20-24

"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Thus began Christ to upbraid . That is, to reprove, to rebuke, to denounce heavy judgment on the cities. Why?

When He had sent forth His disciples to preach, and had been in these several cities Himself, and had taught and preached in them, and confirmed His doctrine by many wonderful works; when He had observed how ill they had used both John the Baptist and Himself, (accusing the one as having a devil, and the other as a licentious person); when they could not be pleased with the ministry of the one, nor of the other, Christ began to reproach them and their ingratitude to Him, their unbelief in Him, the hardness of their hearts. These people - witnesses to His goodness and miraculous acts - could not be moved to repent of their evil ways, and believe in Him, and acknowledge Him as the Messiah. What a tragic, pitiable breed these folks were!

The more God has done to draw men unto Himself, the less excusable are they if they continue in iniquity. If our blessed Lord had not done every thing that was necessary for the salvation of these people, there might be a glimmer of excuse. But, there isn't. Christ condemned these unbelieving cities because they repented not. All He did was, in order to bring men to repentance of their sins, and faith in Himself, was to work miracle after miracle in those same cities that they might be saved. He did not come to be applauded and to entertain, but to bring men to repentance. Lo, it never happened because of men's hardened hearts. What they wanted and didn't get were freebies.

As this great Nation slides into oblivion, it is sad to note that we are in the very position of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. God indeed has wrought a miraculous work in America. To ascend into incredible heights in such a short time can only be attributed to His providential hand.America has stood for the promise of escape from tribal loyalties and hatreds, the limitations of social heredity, and from the cruelties of religious intolerance. To be sure, America remains true to its cultural underpinnings - founded upon Judeo-Christian values - while still welcoming new citizens through a legitimate assimilative process. Generations of people came here not merely in search of new space to grow, but on a quest to realize the American Dream that defines this Nation. The institutions established by the U.S. Constitution take their cue from Biblical sources.

Our Founding Fathers acknowledged God as the source of our rights. In fact, they were careful to place Biblical morality directly into our founding documents and laws, and into our values and culture precisely to help prevent a future of totalitarian or tyrannical rule in America. The Founding Fathers declared that our political and human rights come from a power higher than human government; they come from God Himself.

If we are to avoid the same fates of the aforementioned cities, then we need to forsake the path that we're on and humbly seek God. Think about it: In November 2012, the Nation will vote for either a Muslim or a Mormon to lead this Christian Nation. Read II Chronicles 7:14 and beg God for mercy!

The cities in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee had, thus far, heard and seen the most of the Lord and had the least excuse for rejecting him. Interestingly, from the 4th century to the 11th century Capernaum had 3 earthquakes, which successively leveled the town until the people decided to stop building and instead moved away.

A Tempest In A Teapot?

A dangerous heat and electrical storm with winds over 80 MPH blasted Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC June 29 2012. The storm left over 61,000 residents in our county with out power, in the sweltering heat. Homes and businesses across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia lost power June 29 as one of the most powerful and punishing storms in months swept across the region.

More coverage here.

We know a number of facts about the June 29 derecho now. As many as 5 million lost power from near Chicago to the East Coast, at least 22 were killed, and it caused a yet uncounted millions or billions in damage. Yet, as of 24 hours prior and even the morning of, very little in the way of mass indication that it was coming.

While the United States moves toward becoming a weather ready nation, how could something like this happen with half a day or less of warning? Is it destined to happen again?

How apropo that this storm would hit the D.C. area the day after Judge Roberts turned the healthcare fight upside down with his siding with the radical left wing of the SCOTUS! Coincidental? I guess it's one question we can ask the Lord on that Great Day when we leave earth and join Him in Glory.

America Has Forgotten the God of the Bible

Back in 1993, an Appeals Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for Gideon International to hand out Bibles in public schools in Indianapolis. It was all right to hand out condoms to 13-year-olds. It was all right to graphically instruct junior high school kids on how to have safe sex. It was all right to give free abortion counseling to 14-year-olds without parental consent. And yet, it was wrong to give them a Bible in America in 1993. Guess what, folks? The landscape remains the same except godlessness is more rampant now than ever before. Without God's Word, we are truly lost and adrift.

Now to an extent you can understand why our children need to be protected from the dangerous doctrines contained in the Bible. Have you looked at it lately? After all, it has such "dangerous" concepts as "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "Do not covet your neighbor's wife". And of course, young ears should never hear such words as "Do not commit adultery" or "Flee fornication". Oh, no we cannot, even under the principle of academic freedom which says that all competing ideas have a right to be heard, allow someone access to the Bible. Why, they might read and believe, and live by some of those "dangerous concepts."

If that were to happen, the world as we know it would come to an end! Think of the deadly ramifications of obeying the Bible. Parents would be respected and obeyed, as would teachers. We wouldn't need policemen (i.e, school resource officers) in every school. No need for metal detectors to check for guns and knives. Hatred and racism would die. Teenage pregnancy and the perceived need to hand out safe-sex materials would soon be gone. By all means please have the godless liberals protect us from such a horrific fate!

In the 1960's we forgot God by removing prayer and the Bible from our schools.

In the 1970's we forgot God by legalizing abortion in our hospitals.

In the 1980's we forgot God by removing the King James Bible from our churches and replacing It with the corrupted New International Version (NIV) that removes the important word “begotten” from John 3:16! There are more atrocities in the NIV but there is not enough space to delineate them here.

In the 1990's America forgot God by introducing the vile “Gay Agenda” into society.

And now in the 21st Century we are facing the abominations of legalized same-sex marriages and infanticide. Because of evolution, American has chosen to ignore God's revelation through His Holy Word (Rom. 1:20). Because of it, they have blown open the door to godlessness. Hypocritically, the same humanists who relentlessly place God on trial, unquestioningly accept the unproven theories of evolution.

America voted for a Communist U.S. president and is on the brink of re-electing him to a 2nd term.

Heed the warning in Psalm 9:17, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Woe unto America!

 

I Want No Part of Godlessness!

Sources: Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary; International Standard Bible Dictionary; Washington Post; Washington Times; myFOXDC.com

A Christian Walk Unfeigned

Romans 12:1-2

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

To kick off this post, I'd like to quote a famous prolific writer, preacher & pastor in 19th Century England by the name of John Charles Ryle [1816-1900] -

“Begin reading your Bible this very day. The way to do a thing is to do it, and the way to read the Bible is actually to read it. It is not meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or thinking about it; that will not advance you one step. You must positively read. There is no royal road in this matter, any more than in the matter of prayer. If you cannot read yourself, you must persuade somebody else to read to you. But one way or another, through eyes or ears, the words of Scripture must actually pass before your mind.”

~ J.C. Ryle

The verses noted from Romans 12 contain a body-mind connection. Consider the commitment and steps necessary in developing a godly lifestyle. Paul was urgently warning believers not to be conformed to the world. If we're leaning toward compromise in our Christian walk, then the greatest danger today is an ungodly testimony. But, it doesn't stop there. Like tracking dog dung we've stepped on and soiling our house; likewise a worldly Christian drags in his worldly ways into the church and contaminates everyone he comes in contact.

Here's how it works: Through ungodly relationships and the impact of media, we're being influenced by people who are not following God's ways. Our society tells us to put self first, take what we want, protect our rights, and promote our own interests above others' interests.

In contrast, Jesus said that our heavenly Father will provide what we truly need (Phil. 4:19), we are to deny self and follow Him (Luke 9:23), and the humble - not the proud - shall receive honor (James 4:10). Conformity to the world's ideals will lead us away from God.

At the same time, Paul urges us to:

1. Present our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is a reasonable thing to do considering what the Lord did for you and me at Calvary. We are also to make our sacrifice holy & acceptable unto the Lord. How is that done? Romans 6:12-13 states, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."

Confer with I Cor. 6:19-20. Of interest is the word present, which denotes the action of bringing and presenting an animal or other sacrifice before an altar (which is an Old Testament picture). It implies that the action was a free and voluntary offering. The act of freely devoting ourselves to God is one of the most loving acts that we will ever perform. And, it happens on a daily basis.

2. Pursue godly transformation of our minds using God's word as compass and ballast. It means to set our thoughts on things above (Col. 3:2) and to focus on what is true, right, pure, and admirable (Phil. 4:8). Adopting a Christian worldview will lead to Christlike actions. It requires making adjustments in how we view life until our thoughts line up with Scripture. We must also protect our minds with Biblical truth and surround ourselves with mature believers who can warn us when we start to stray.

Make no mistake, Friend, you cannot even begin on this Christian walk without first settling your old account of sin (Rom. 6:23; Jn. 3:1-7; Rom. 10-9-10).

Please understand that believers are exhorted to offer a sacrifice that will be acceptable to God; that is, such a one as He had just specified, one that was living and holy. No sacrifice should be made which is not acceptable to God. Don't even try.

The offerings of the pagan; the pilgrimages of the Muslims; the self-inflicted penalties of the Roman Catholics, are all uncommanded by God and Scripture. They are not and cannot be acceptable to Him. Those services that will be acceptable to God are those only which He appoints. People are not to invent services; or to make crosses; or to seek persecutions and trials; or to provoke opposition; or to withdraw themselves from society and live in isolated, austere surroundings. They are to do just what God requires of them, and according to Scripture. Nothing else will be acceptable to God. And this fact, that what we do is acceptable to God, is the highest recompense we can have. It matters little what people think of us, if God approves what we do. To please Him should be our highest aim; the fact that we do please Him is our highest reward.

Ask yourself these questions, Friend:

Am I focusing on what is important to the Lord?
Am I making a conscious effort to adhere to Biblical truth?
Am I demonstrating a pattern of godly transformation?
Am I presenting my body a living sacrifice according to God's word?

If you answered No to any of these questions then why not get right with God on this account, submit to His will (James 4:7-10) and see the outflow of His power through your obedience (Jn. 15:1-10). Let God's Holy Spirit empower you to make the changes necessary to be more like Christ.

But first, you must be born again! Are you willing to take that first step? It's the only way, Reader (Jn. 14:6)! The Plan of Salvation