The Lord is Exalted

Isaiah 33:1 ESV

“Ah, you destroyer,

    who yourself have not been destroyed,

you traitor,

    whom none has betrayed!

When you have ceased to destroy,

    you will be destroyed;

and when you have finished betraying,

    they will betray you.”

Intoxicated by Sin

There are many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ who are not walking the straight and narrow but who are still living in sin, living to please the passions of their sinful flesh, while claiming salvation with Christ through faith alone and heaven as their eternal destiny.

They are those who are lovers of self instead of lovers of God. They are intoxicated with sin and with self-indulgence and with whatever high or buzz they get from their idol, their sinful addiction(s) of choice. They will not humble themselves in submission to Christ as Lord, because they still want to be on the throne of their own lives.

Although they profess faith in Jesus Christ, they are fruitless regarding God’s eternal kingdom for they have not submitted to Christ as Lord, they have not left their sinful lifestyles behind them, and they are not walking in purity of devotion to Jesus Christ in obedience to his will for their lives.

Thus, they are stubbornly holding on to the flesh, and they are defiantly continuing to live in sin. And, they are doing so even knowing all the destruction that their sin has caused themselves and their relationships with God and with other people. They don’t care. Their consciences are seared.

So, they continue to do what is in accord with their sinful nature. And, they regularly (habitually) give in to the sinful cravings of their flesh. And, yet many of them will say they are “struggling” with certain sins, but what that usually means is that they are habitually yielding to the flesh, on purpose.

So, many of them, in order to pacify themselves in their sin, or to make allowances or excuses for it, or to justify themselves, or to reconcile their sinful lifestyles with their professions of faith, will buy into or they will create a different gospel which will permit them to continue living in sin.

The Different Gospel

But this different gospel is a BIG FAT LIE. For, it saves no one from sin, even though it promises to do so, but it deceives its followers by telling them that heaven is guaranteed them while knowing that it is sending them straight to hell. For this different gospel comes straight from hell.

This different gospel is not of God, not of righteousness or holiness. It is a creation of the flesh of man intended to appeal to human flesh and to pacify people in their sin. So, it leaves its adherents still bound in sin, in chains of addiction, while it comforts them with lies and deceptions which will betray.

It is, thus, double-dealing, for it promises one thing, but it will deliver the opposite. It promises freedom but it delivers more bondage. It promises heaven, but it will deliver hell. It promises a life of joy and peace, but it delivers a life of depression, unfulfillment, tragedy, and destruction.

Yet, people are buying into this cheap grace gospel by the droves. For, liars and deceivers are masquerading as servants of righteousness. They are smooth talkers and charmers who are luring people away from Jesus Christ and his gospel to another Jesus and a different gospel. And many people are following these pied pipers who are leading them to their deaths. 

But one day the Lord is going to, or he is presently acting in judgment against those who are following this cheap grace gospel, in order to turn their hearts back to the Lord. And, when he has finished using the enemies of God to discipline and to revive his wayward people and to bring to true salvation those who have bought into the cheap grace, then he will come against those whom he used as his divine instruments of judgment.

Isaiah 33:5-6 ESV

“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;

    he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,

and he will be the stability of your times,

    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

    the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.”

For, our Lord will be exalted above all other gods, which are not God. He will not be superseded by any other gods. His purposes cannot be thwarted. They will prevail. His Word will last forever. No enemy raised up against the Lord will be able to stand for long. God will accomplish his purposes through it all, and many lives (not the majority) will be saved for eternity.

He will do whatever needs to be done to awaken his slumbering people and those who are deceived so that they will turn their hearts to the Lord or back to the Lord. And, he will deliver them from their bondage to sin, and he will empower them to live righteously and to walk in his ways and in his truth.

And many who are now still walking in darkness will see the light of truth and they will surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. They will turn away from their lifestyles of sin, they will be changed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and they will now walk in obedience to our Lord until Jesus comes to take us home to be with him for eternity.

And, those who have been delivered out of darkness, and who have been brought into God’s wonderful light, will begin to share with others how they can also be free from their chains of addiction. But when they do, the enemy will come against them to tempt them or to persecute them because he wants them back.

Yet, they must not give in to him at all! They (we) must stand strong in our faith against the enemy of our souls, and we must speak the truth in love, for many are dying in their sins and they need the Savior. We must keep speaking the truth which will set people free no matter what opposition may come against us. For, our Lord is with us, and he will carry us through it all.

Be with Me, Lord

By Thomas O Chisholm 

Be with me, Lord – I cannot live without THEE,

I dare not try to take one step alone.

I cannot bear the loads of life, unaided,

I need THY strength to lean myself upon.

Be with me Lord, and then if dangers threaten,

If storms of trial burst above my head,

If lashing seas leap ev’rywhere about me,

They cannot harm, or make my heart afraid.

Be with me Lord! No other gift or blessing

THOU COULDST bestow could with this one compare –

A constant sense of THY abiding presence,

Where’er I am, to feel that THOU ART near.

Be with me, Lord, when loneliness o’ertakes me,

When I must weep amid the fires of pain,

And when shall come the hour of “my departure”

For “worlds unknown,” O Lord, be with me then.

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