Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Monday, October 12, 2020

But Whoever Listens

Proverbs 1:7, 10, 15, 16, 19 ESV

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

    fools despise wisdom and instruction…

 

“My son, if sinners entice you,

    do not consent…

my son, do not walk in the way with them;

    hold back your foot from their paths,

for their feet run to evil,

    and they make haste to shed blood…

Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

    it takes away the life of its possessors.”

 

To fear the Lord is to respect, reverence, honor, and obey him. It is to be devoted to him and to his will and purpose for our lives. It is to give our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable and acceptable worship of him (Rom 12:1-2).

 

Thus, if we revere the Lord, and so we honor him with our lives, we will submit to him as Lord (owner-master) of our lives, we will leave our lives of sin behind us, and we will walk in faithful obedience to him in his power, wisdom, and strength, and as our life course (path).

 

But those who do not fear God, who are senseless and unwise, they despise wisdom and instruction that comes from God through his written word, even in the New Testament under the New Covenant. And many of these who are unwise are professing faith in Jesus Christ, too.

 

For they ignore the Scriptures which teach that we must submit to Christ as Lord, and that we must walk in obedience to him, and that we must turn away from our sinful lifestyles, and that we must walk in his righteousness (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

They also ignore the warnings in Scripture regarding what will happen to us if we continue on a sinful course, walking according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit. The Bible says we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (Gal 5:16-25; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 2:6-8).

 

So, when they are enticed to sin, they often will not resist, because they believe that God’s grace grants them permission to continue living in sin, only now without guilt. For, they have bought into the lie which says they don’t have to submit to Christ, forsake their sins, or obey the Lord.

 

Proverbs 1:20-23 ESV

 

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

    in the markets she raises her voice;

at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

    at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

    and fools hate knowledge?

If you turn at my reproof,

behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;

    I will make my words known to you.’”

 

“The streets” in America are largely now on the internet, for this is where the people in our nation largely gather together. And wisdom is definitely crying aloud on the internet via the Lord’s servants and witnesses who are sharing the truth of the gospel of Christ there.

 

We who are sharing the gospel of Christ on the internet are appealing to the senses of those who are naïve and who are believing everything they see (or think they see) and read and hear from those they are convinced are telling them the truth.

 

And we are reasoning with them through the teachings of Scripture that we need to be those who test everything we see, read, and hear to see if it is truth or if it is a lie. And, in some cases, we are showing them biblically where they are believing lies and they are rejecting the truth.

 

We are exposing the lies for what they are, and we are teaching the whole counsel of God and not the diluted half-truth gospel that many are teaching today, and that the vast majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ appear to be following.

 

Thus, we are calling people to repentance, to obedient faith in Jesus Christ, and to submission to Christ as Lord (owner-master) of their lives. And we are sharing with them how they can be delivered from their slavery to sin and now be empowered of the Holy Spirit to live holy lives pleasing to God.

 

If you will turn (repent of your sin) at the Lord’s reproof (his corrections and his instructions), he will deliver you from your bondage to sin, give you a new life in Jesus Christ, fill you will his Holy Spirit, teach you to walk in his ways, and he will empower you to live according to his word and no longer according to your sinful flesh.

 

Proverbs 1:24-26, 28-33 ESV

 

“’Because I have called and you refused to listen,

    have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

because you have ignored all my counsel

    and would have none of my reproof,

I also will laugh at your calamity…

 

“’Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

    they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Because they hated knowledge

    and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

would have none of my counsel

    and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

    and have their fill of their own devices.

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

    and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.’”

 

But sadly, not everyone is going to respond to the Lord’s reproof with repentance. Many are going to stubbornly continue to go on living in sin, doing what they want to do, and even some of them will continue to profess faith in Jesus Christ and claim heaven as their eternal destiny.

 

Yet, when things get really bad, which they will, many will call on the Lord to rescue them and to show them mercy, but he will not listen, because they are not calling on him in truth, and with a desire to submit to him as Lord, but they just want the pain to go away.

 

And this is because they hated knowledge and they refused to submit to Christ as Lord, to leave their lives of sin behind them, and to walk in obedience to his commands, because they thought they knew better than God. They thought he would never judge them.

 

But they will find out that they were wrong, but it will be too late. They will pay the penalty for their refusal to honor God as the holy God that he is. Because they refused to die with Christ to sin they will die without Christ in their sins (Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 2:6-8; Lu 9:23-26).

 

But whoever does listen, and who repents, and who submits their lives to Jesus Christ, and who walks in obedience to his ways, they will be saved from their sin and they will have eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23).

 

For Our Nation  

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

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