Isaiah 30:8-11 ESV
“And now, go, write it before them on a tablet
and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come
as a witness forever.
For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’
and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’”
Many people today in America are professing faith in Jesus
Christ, but not in truth, and not in righteousness, for they are following
after the lies of other humans who are telling them that a mere profession of
faith in Jesus Christ once in their lives is enough to secure them salvation
from sin, forgiveness of all sin (past, present, and future), and heaven as
their eternal destiny, done deal, and that nothing more is required of them.
And so those who are promoting the lies, and then those who
receive and who follow the lies, who then also end up promoting the lies, end
up being unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD. For they are being
programmed to reject any teaching that has to do with repentance, obedience, or
works, even if they are the works of God he prepared in advance that we should
walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
And so they close their eyes and ears to the truth, and they
stubbornly hold on to the lies, even if you show them what the Scriptures
teach. For they have been so indoctrinated with the lies and with shutting out
anything that is contrary to those lies, that they will only accept feel good
messages which make them feel good about themselves, even while many of them
(not all) are steeped in deliberate and habitual sin.
So, they do say to those who are sharing the truth of the
gospel to stop teaching what is negative and which makes them feel bad, and to
only speak to them smooth things and illusions which make them feel good about
themselves even in their sin. So, they embrace the lies which tell them that
all they have to do is profess or confess Jesus as Lord, or all they have to do
is just acknowledge who Jesus is and what he did on that cross, or all they
have to do is repeat some words after someone else, or all they have to do is
just to receive (accept) God’s grace or his affection, and they are good.
So, they don’t want to hear the truth, for they want to
believe the lies. And so they don’t want us speaking the truth about the way
that is right, and so they accuse us of being negative and judgmental and hyper
religious and legalistic and those who are teaching works salvation. And so if
we are speaking the truth of the gospel, the whole counsel of God, in America
today, we are going to be largely rejected and cast aside and ostracized, and
we are not going to have many people who want to be with us.
But, we need to get the truth of the gospel out to the
people, because far too many are following after a false image of Christ and a
false gospel message. And they are being lied to, and they are being promised
heaven as their eternal home, but while many of them remain trapped in sin, and
so they are headed to hell, instead. But if they are sincere, and if they are
just being duped, then they shouldn’t close their ears to the truth, but they
should want to know and to obey the truth.
And the truth of the gospel is that Jesus died that we might
die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. And Jesus said if
we would come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (daily
die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. And by faith in Jesus Christ we
are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to
walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness. So sin is not to be our practice, for if sin is what we obey, it
will lead to death, not to life everlasting. Righteousness should be our
practice.
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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