Don't Mess With God
Lately, several occurrences have caused me some concern. The first was when I sat and watched as activists in San Francisco went into a church, and took the Sacrament. Many people were outraged by the lack of respect, but I was more concerned with the activists. The Bible says the following about communion:
Partaking of the Supper Unworthily
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For all who eat and drinkl without discerning the body,m eat and drink judgment against themselves. 30 For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.n
[1]
Those individuals have no idea that they have brought a curse upon themselves. I know that the modern human refuses to acknowledge that there are such possibilities. Nevertheless, it is so. These individuals have brought a curse upon themselves. I would like to seek them out and warn them. God help them. Just because God is long suffering does not mean that He withholds judgment. It just means that He has decided to delay for a time.
The next occurrence that caused me concern was the group of church folks that demonstrated at the funerals of fallen service members. The signs they hold up say that God hates America and that He is punishing us. They do not know God. God does not chastise and punish those that He does not love. He states very plainly that He only chastises those that He loves in the following scriptural excerpt:
6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? 8But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. 12Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees; 13and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed. 14Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: 15looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; 16lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. 17For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought is diligently with tears. [2]
Why then is anyone offended when someone says that God must be chastising them? That is the first thing I consider when hard times come forth. I wonder if I have somehow offended God. What exactly is He trying to tell me? Do I need to learn a specific lesson? I always look to see what God will have me to learn. I wonder what He will have me to change. I am His child, the apple of His eye. He is holy, and of course, He wants me to be like Him. Only those who are not Hischildren are offended. Those that love what they have and what they can do more than they love God are offended. So if God is chastising us, it is because He loves us.
If He is chastising us, you can be sure that we will know that is what He is doing. God does not work in the dark. When He is chastising His beloved, He doesn’t do it unless His beloved understands that He is chastising. Think, if you were chastising your child, would you just punish him/her out of the blue without letting her/him know why? What purpose would that serve? Even if He chastised first, He would let us know why during or soon thereafter. Otherwise, chastisement serves no purpose and the punisher and the punishment becomes capricious.
Pastors are afraid to say that God chastises. They have been chastised for saying God chastises. How ironic is that? So, they have stopped proclaiming that God chastises. This has left the road open for crazies, who do not know God, to come in and make silly proclamations. Then they make the church of God look silly.
So homosexuals, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. Adulterers, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. Fornicators, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. Christians, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. America, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you.
Hear this all, if God does chastise you, you will know it is God, and you will know why. He may not proclaim it on the rooftop, but in your heart you will know. And if you do not take heed, don’t worry, the next step He will take will include proclaiming it from the rooftops.
People, one final warning, God is not this mushy gushy great big teddy bear in the sky. He loves us, and blesses, and gives us all manner of good things to make us happy, but He also wants what is best for us, and He wants to teach us to be holy. Only someone naïve or someone who doesn’t know God thinks that God is good without also being holy. God is good and God is just. Never mistake his kindness for weakness, nor his long suffering for permissiveness.
l Other ancient authorities add in an unworthy manner,
m Other ancient authorities read the Lord’s body
n Gk fallen asleep
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, S. 1 Co 11:27-34
[2] American Standard Version. Electronic edition. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. Heb 12:5
Partaking of the Supper Unworthily
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For all who eat and drinkl without discerning the body,m eat and drink judgment against themselves. 30 For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.n
[1]
Those individuals have no idea that they have brought a curse upon themselves. I know that the modern human refuses to acknowledge that there are such possibilities. Nevertheless, it is so. These individuals have brought a curse upon themselves. I would like to seek them out and warn them. God help them. Just because God is long suffering does not mean that He withholds judgment. It just means that He has decided to delay for a time.
The next occurrence that caused me concern was the group of church folks that demonstrated at the funerals of fallen service members. The signs they hold up say that God hates America and that He is punishing us. They do not know God. God does not chastise and punish those that He does not love. He states very plainly that He only chastises those that He loves in the following scriptural excerpt:
6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? 8But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. 12Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees; 13and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed. 14Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: 15looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; 16lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. 17For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought is diligently with tears. [2]
Why then is anyone offended when someone says that God must be chastising them? That is the first thing I consider when hard times come forth. I wonder if I have somehow offended God. What exactly is He trying to tell me? Do I need to learn a specific lesson? I always look to see what God will have me to learn. I wonder what He will have me to change. I am His child, the apple of His eye. He is holy, and of course, He wants me to be like Him. Only those who are not Hischildren are offended. Those that love what they have and what they can do more than they love God are offended. So if God is chastising us, it is because He loves us.
If He is chastising us, you can be sure that we will know that is what He is doing. God does not work in the dark. When He is chastising His beloved, He doesn’t do it unless His beloved understands that He is chastising. Think, if you were chastising your child, would you just punish him/her out of the blue without letting her/him know why? What purpose would that serve? Even if He chastised first, He would let us know why during or soon thereafter. Otherwise, chastisement serves no purpose and the punisher and the punishment becomes capricious.
Pastors are afraid to say that God chastises. They have been chastised for saying God chastises. How ironic is that? So, they have stopped proclaiming that God chastises. This has left the road open for crazies, who do not know God, to come in and make silly proclamations. Then they make the church of God look silly.
So homosexuals, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. Adulterers, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. Fornicators, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. Christians, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you. America, if God doesn’t chastise you, be worried because it means He doesn’t love you.
Hear this all, if God does chastise you, you will know it is God, and you will know why. He may not proclaim it on the rooftop, but in your heart you will know. And if you do not take heed, don’t worry, the next step He will take will include proclaiming it from the rooftops.
People, one final warning, God is not this mushy gushy great big teddy bear in the sky. He loves us, and blesses, and gives us all manner of good things to make us happy, but He also wants what is best for us, and He wants to teach us to be holy. Only someone naïve or someone who doesn’t know God thinks that God is good without also being holy. God is good and God is just. Never mistake his kindness for weakness, nor his long suffering for permissiveness.
l Other ancient authorities add in an unworthy manner,
m Other ancient authorities read the Lord’s body
n Gk fallen asleep
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, S. 1 Co 11:27-34
[2] American Standard Version. Electronic edition. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. Heb 12:5
posted by R.A. Holloway | 11:55 PM
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