Reasons for God's Judgement

Victory or defeat over sin.

You must accept that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. - Romans 1:18-23

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;

27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. - Romans 1:24-27

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. - Romans 1:28-32

1. Inversion of God's truth v 18-23

2. Perversion of God's gift v 24-27

3 Depravation of the mind v 28-32

The wrath of God

The wrath of God and love of God are a two sided coin.

If you try to separate the two, God's wrath is purposeless. 

God's love rescues from the wrath of God.

We are hopeless without it.

Man denies the wrath of God.

You shall surely die in your sin.

The wrath of God is against all evil.

The root of sin is to deny God or try to change the truth of His word to suit your sin.

Half truth is sin.

Share the word in truth, being careful not to deny it.

God will give you more of what you want.

Is it righteousness or sin?

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. - Matthew 5:6

God alone gives man moral, intellectual and reasoning power.

It will either be light or darkness.

The love for other comes from God.

The day of reckoning is coming.

Love those who are caught in sin.

Pray for them.

Fast for them, asking God to forgive them.

Sinner, repent, God will forgive you.

You can not stay in your sin or God's wrath will be your fate.

Jesus says:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. - John 3:36

Thank you Pastor Youssef!

The Anchor of Joy

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Matthew 5:11)

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

Jesus revealed a secret that protects our happiness from the threat of suffering and the threat of success. That secret is this: Great is your reward in heaven. And the sum of that reward is enjoying the fullness of the glory of Jesus Christ (John 17:24).

Jesus protects our happiness from suffering when he says,

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11–12)

Our great reward in heaven rescues our joy from the threat of persecution and reviling.

He also protects our joy from success when he says,

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

The disciples were tempted to put their joy in ministry success. “Even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17). But that would have severed their joy from its only sure anchor.

So Jesus protects their joy from the threat of success by promising the far greater reward of heaven. Rejoice in this: that your names are written in heaven. Your inheritance is infinite, eternal, sure.

Our joy is safe. Neither suffering nor success can destroy its anchor. Great is your reward in heaven. Your name is written there. It is secure.

Jesus anchored the happiness of suffering saints in the reward of heaven. And he anchored the happiness of successful saints in the same.

And thus he freed us from the tyranny of worldly pain and pleasure — worldly suffering and worldly success.

John Piper 

Do you hear hammers and chisels?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15:1-2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When Solomon built his temple, he employed eighty thousand stonecutters. They chipped and shaped those stones—but not at the temple site. They did that work way out in the stone quarry before bringing them to the temple mount. Why? Because Solomon didn’t want the sound of the hammers and chisels heard on the temple mount.

In the same way, you are part of the living stones of His temple and God is shaping you here—in the “quarry” of this earth.

Part of your shaping takes the form of persecution. So be prepared for that. Don’t see your persecutors as enemies, but as God’s stonecutters at work.

ACTION POINT:

Next time someone reviles you, say “Thank God, another stonecutter.” God is shaping you to be what you ought to be.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

It's Not Just About You, Wait For It

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. - Genesis 50:20

And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. - Genesis 45:5

God will show up.

Even if you are in the pit of despair.

The enemy will not win.

God is able!

Definition of a blessing:

The favor of God to you so that it may flow through you.

Rough patches allow you to minister to others.

You can be a blessing by sharing your "in the pit of despair" times.

Joseph's brothers were jealous of him.

He was his father's joy.

So they plotted against Joseph.

Joseph never lost faith in God and His purpose.

Everything is not always good, but God is and He will never leave or forsake you.

Coming through adversity causes great praise to God for His mercy.

In deep darkness, you see the Lord.

He walks with you.

At rock bottom, you will meet the Rock, Christ the Lord.

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.

40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you."

41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."

42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.

43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, "Bow the knee!" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. - Genesis 41:39-43

You will be restored, if you wait.

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.  - Isaiah 40:31

The waiting is hard!

God has a plan!

Be still!

The pit is empty and dark.

God knows all about sin but never experienced it.

Through Christ being God/man, walking in human form, being tempted and still not sinning, He is able to sympathize with man regarding sin.

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:14-16

Walking through it matters.

Empty and waterless is dark but Christ, the Master is able.

By His perfect righteousness, He will deliver you from the pit.

Thank you Pastor Jonathan Evans!

The Battle to Remind

“This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” (Lamentations 3:21–22)

One of the great enemies of hope is forgetting God’s promises. Reminding is a great ministry. Peter and Paul both said that they wrote letters for this reason (2 Peter 1:13; Romans 15:15).

The main Helper in reminding us what we need to know is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). But that doesn’t mean you should be passive. You are responsible only for your own ministry of reminding. And the first one in need of reminding by you is you.

The mind has this great power: It can talk to itself by way of reminder. The mind can “call to mind,” as the text says: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lamentations 3:21–22).

If we don’t “call to mind” what God has said about himself and about us, we languish. Oh, how I know this from painful experience! Don’t wallow in the mire of godless messages in your own head. Messages like: “I can’t . . .” “She won’t . . .” “They never . . .” “It has never worked . . .”

The point is not that these are true or false. Your mind will always find a way to make them true, unless you “call to mind” something greater. God is the God of the impossible. Reasoning your way out of an impossible situation is not as effective as reminding yourself that God does impossible things.

Without reminding ourselves of the greatness and grace and power and wisdom of God, we sink into brutish pessimism. “I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you” (Psalm 73:22).

The great turn from despair to hope in Psalm 77 comes with these words: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11–12).

This is the great battle of my life. I assume yours too. The battle to remind! Myself. Then others.

John Piper 

Are you willing to wear this garment?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

To be “clothed” in 1 Peter 5:5 means to tie a knot or put on a servant’s apron. Basically this verse tells us to tie on the apron of a servant or slave and be humble.

Why do you think Peter used that figure of speech? I think it was because the night before He was crucified, Jesus laid aside His garments, girded Himself with a towel, and washed the disciples’ feet. Peter would never forget that moment. The Scripture records, “Peter saith unto Him, ‘Thou shalt never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me’ ” (John 13:8).

ACTION POINT:

There are two lessons here:

1. We must be clothed in humility. You can’t look down on somebody when you’re washing their feet. 

2. Even though we are saved, we walk in a dirty world. We need to come to Jesus daily to cleanse us from our sins, restore and refresh us.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Why We Preach Christ Crucified

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,

35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),

37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,

40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,

41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." - Acts 10:34-43

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. - Matthew 7:24

for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. - Matthew 7:29

The officers answered, "No one ever spoke like this man!" - John 7:46

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." - Acts 2:36-39

10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead-by him this man is standing before you well.

11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:10-12

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,

4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak,

14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Are you a new creation in Christ?

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. - Romans 6:4