God is Against Evil

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

The character question, do I choose to do good or do I choose to do evil. This should be a no brainer. Choosing to do good or live righteous is given with promise that the Lord will watch over those who do good, and He listens to the prayers of those who choose to live a life that follows His commandments. Choosing to do that which is evil or forbidden in God’s word is to have the wrath of God to face. This is pretty harsh when we think that God is love, pours out His grace, and desires to show mercy. Hard to think that this kind of God is against those who refuse to follow His ways and choose to do evil. God is holy, and the very nature of God is against that which is unholy, or evil. He is also a God of forgiveness and will not turn anyone away that will humble themselves before Him and confess their wicked ways. He desires fellowship with His fallen creation and has provided a way to have fellowship with Him. The cross has bridged the gap between sinful man and a Holy God. To those that refuse to turn from their wicked ways and do what is right, will face the judgment of the Lord for their choices. As long as we have breathe, we have a choice to do right or do evil. God does not make that choice for us. We decide if we will walk with God and do good, or abide in sin and do evil. 

Crucify the Flesh

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Living the Christian life in this world goes contrary to the fleshly appetite of sinful human desires, in this case, the lust of the flesh. This goes beyond human need for food, shelter, love and self esteem. Such sinful desires are base in unbelief and the aggrandizement of self. Life is center around pleasing and satisfying the wants of the flesh. We are all born with this nature to sin. At some point in our lives we become responsible for the our actions that stem from this nature. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory (pleasing) of God. That is the reason Christ came. To provide a way for this sin to be forgiven. Because Christ died, we can come to Him and lay our burden of sin at the foot of the cross. They who are now in Christ come to see that they now must surrender their life in full consecration to the will of God. The nature of sin has been crucified, put to death, and the Christian no longer are masters to the sin nature. The Holy Spirit comes to the believer, as He did on the day of Pentecost and fills the heart, cleansing and empowering the Christian to walk in the Spirit to manifest the fruits of the Spirit. Our lives no longer are dictated by our sin nature, but by the Spirit that dwells within us.

Go, and Sin No More

John 8:11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Christ came to fulfill the law to perfection that through His life and death, He enables us by His grace to sin no more. The concept of living a life without sinning is foreign to many who see themselves struggling with life’s temptations and fleshly desires to please self. The carnal nature of man is enmity against God and is not subject to His holiness. Without grace, man is helpless to live a life that is sinless. The heart of man is desperately wicked, even a person trained to be good will stand before God naked and see the uncleanness of his heart. What is man to do? All have sinned and come short of pleasing God, we have only one remedy, flee to the cross, confess our sins, ask Him to forgive us of our transgression, and to clean our hearts of all that is unlike Him. His love and grace without fail will speak,”Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin more” He promise to them that would believe in Him that He would send a Comforter, the Holy Spirit will come as we seek more of Him. The Holy Spirit, as in the day of Pentecost will come to them that seek Him and He will give us power to live a life that can love God with all our hearts, mind, body and soul. Without Him, it is impossible to fulfill this commandment. But with God, all things are possible.

Wretched Man That I Am

Roman 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

As a born again Christian, I was taught that Christ died for our sins and also died to save us from sinning. I was saved in a church that preached that the Holy Spirit comes to the believer to purify the heart of inbred sin. That He comes to live and dwell in the heart, keeping the believer eternally secure by His power through the blood of Christ. There are those that say that it is impossible to live without sinning, that Paul says that we continue to fight the carnal flesh and sometime it is inevitable that we will lose the fight. Because we live in these sinful fleshly human body it is our nature to do what is not right. “We can’t help ourselves, we are only human, the blood of Christ will cover these flaws that come out and manifest themselves at times” Such teaching has a thread of truth. For if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” The question then is, can God deliver the Christian from the carnal freshly desire and keep them from living a life that causes them to sin. The answer is given in vs 25. “ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” we can have victory over sin if we trust in the blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit to give us the victory!

The Suffering Savior

Isaiah 53: 1-12

God, who loved this world, was willing to let His son come to earth and take on the form of man. Knowing that His son would suffer a cruel death on a rugged cross, God the Father released His son into the hands of cruel and hateful men. In spite of their hatred, Christ laid His life down to suffer and die for sinful man. The Suffering Christ made it possible for you and me to be reconciled and redeemed. It was through his suffering that we our made whole, whereby we cry “Abba Father”

Report of a Savior- Who hath believed our report

• By Faith they looked for the day to come
• That God would send His son to take away our sins

Reaching Arms of God- arm of the Lord revealed

• He will make Himself know to those who believe
• God’s arm will reach around the world- Salvation for all

Root in the desert- root out of dry land

• Royal line of David was buried
• His physical appearance was common
• His beauty was within- tender plant

Rejected & Despised of Men – He was despised and rejected

• He was hated of men and dismissed as a mere carpenter
• A man who identified with suffering
• Who is will to take up his cross and follow?

Redeemed Through His Blood with His strips we our healed

• Wounded for our committed sins
• Bruised for our sin nature- we were born in iniquity

• God laid on Him all of our sin(s)

Repudiated by His Own – He was afflicted, lamb to slaughter

• They led Him to the cross, as lamb is led for sacrifice
• He laid down His life willing
• Forsaken by all- cut off from the living

Righteous Servant-righteous servant justify many

• Fulfilled the will of Jehovah
• He who knew no sin, became sin for us
• More than just physical suffering

Risk All for the World- he bares the sin of many

• Poured out his soul unto death

• Numbered with the transgressors
• Interceded for sinful man

Song of Salvation

Isaiah 26:1-10

When salvation comes to the heart, a song is born. Christ who is our salvation from sin and eternal damnation causes the heart to sing out in praise, rejoicing in Him for His love and mercy. In the New Jerusalem, a song will be lifted up from all the redeemed. A chorus of voices will ring out the praises of God for He is mighty and worthy to be praise. The righteous shall sing out His name and give Him glory and honor. The unrighteous will face the judgment of God. God gave them opportunity, but they refused to acknowledge Him as Lord and King.

City of Jerusalem
• The Millennial Reign
• Surrounded and Protected by His Salvation
Celebration of Truth
• Song of Praise
• Only the Holy will truly praise God
Constant Trust in God
• Mind stayed on Him
• Peace that constantly abides
• We Serve a Mighty God
• Faith unwavering
Cast down to the ground
• Power of this mighty God will bring them down
• Blessed are the poor, theirs is the kingdom
Cry Of A Righteous Man
• His desire is to do the will of God
• Character of righteousness
• Bringing our life into harmony with God
• His name be glorified and He be lifted up
Condition of Sinful Man
• God has no choice- His justice requires judgment
• They rejected His mercy
• He refused to give God 1st place in his life
• They glorified not God, but became vain

The Captivity of Israel

2 Kings 17:6-18

Review: The passing of Elisha left Joash without a spiritual mentor. Even though he had someone that knew God and trusted God, he was not willing to believe God for himself. His unwilliness to claim total victory over the Syrian, indicated his little faith in God’s ability to give him complete victory. The example of Joash should show us that God is able to do anything if we don’t limit Him by our small faith by trusting in our abilities to get things done.

Israel made captive of the enemy

1. Warned by the prophets
2. Circumstances of life- God’s providence to show and lead?
3. Hoshea, king of Assysia took Samaria
4. Consequences of refusal to follow his commands- Captivity

Israel’s calamity was of their own doing

1. They Forgot God
1. His deliverance
2. His provisions
2. The Focused on the Things of the World
1. They followed the ways of the world-huminism
2. They put others things before God
3. They Lived a False Life
1. They still claimed to be serving God
2. They did things in secret- deception
4. They were Fascinated with idol worship
1. Sinful pleasure of the world
2. No moral restraints- If it feels good, do it!
5. They Forsook the counsel of the prophets
1. Refuse to listen to others
2. Closed their minds to anything that represented right
6. Their Faith in God was gone
1. They refuse to believe that God could do anything
2. They Would not commit to God’s ways
7. Their Foolishness brought them to unthinkable deeds
1. Children pass through the fire
2. The unthinkable sins of our day- abortion, witchcraft

Israel Caused The Lord to be Angry

1. God will not let sin go unpunished
2. Whatsoever a man soweth, that will he reap