11-30-2022 Devotion: Most

 Trials can reveal what we really love the most. Apart from God, nothing was dearer to Abraham than his son Isaac. That would be the test: to find out whether Abraham loved Isaac more than he loved God. How we react in our trials tells us how much or how little we love God. If we love Him supremely, we will thank Him for what He is accomplishing through our challenges, trials and problems. But if we love anything more than God, we will question His wisdom and be anxious and bitter. God loves His children so much that He will remove those things that we place before our love for Him. The trial of Abraham demonstrated his heart. When you face trials, what do they show about your love for God? God's purpose in testing us is to reveal to us what He already knows about us. That can be a beautiful thing about life's troubles, they are like an x-ray to reveal your inside. When facing a trial, draw close to the Lord Jesus Christ, remove anything that hinders you in your faith, and press forward into being who Christ has made you to be.

11-29-2022 Devotion: Weaning

 Trials can wean us from worldly things. The longer we live, the more we accumulate, and the more we may tend to focus on things other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Moses was raised in Pharaoh's house as a prince of Egypt. As part of the royal family, he enjoyed the best education and lived at the height of a worldly society in wealth, honor and comfort. Hebrews 11: 26 tells us that he considered "the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt." The King James Version translates the text as "than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Moses kills an Egyptian and flees to another land. It was after the relocation that God gave him his mission. Moses needed to separate from the worldly influences to be in a place where our LORD could have him focus on His people's slavery. It must have been difficult for Moses to leave all the luxury. However, God used the trial of Moses' fear in leaving as the basis of his purpose in God's plan. Sometimes trials drive you from worldly things and that is a good thing.

11-28-2022 Devotion: Strength

 Trials remind us not to overestimate our own spiritual maturity and strength. Paul testifies in 2 Corinthians 12: 7: "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from exalting myself! Paul had received three visions of the Lord Jesus Christ in His resurrection glory, and the power to do many miracles and reveal new revelations of new truths. Paul was in the perfect pace to be tempted by pride. However, our Lord struck him with a painful, persistent problem that forced the apostle to rely completely on God. The Lord used his afflictions to teach Paul, just as He teaches all His children, to be humble, especially when He's graced us with an elevated place. The takeaway is that when you are facing a trial or have a persistent "thorn" (may be physical, emotional or spiritual), you should acknowledge that nothing happens to you that does not first pass through the throne room of heaven and rejoice. Rejoice that God will give you the grace you need, as He did Paul, to endure and be victorious over whatever trial comes your way.

Attributes of God Part 3: The Wrath of God

 Today, we continue our series on the Attributes of God. While our LORD has many attributes, we will focus on seven. Last week we studied "The Holiness of God." Now, we will teach on "Wrath of God." God's Holiness and His Wrath are very closely connected. Most of the world is in revolt against God and is rushing headlong toward hell without brakes. Everywhere you turn the God of the Bible is held in utter contempt by men and women in the pulpit, the pew and the world. This teaching on "The Wrath of God" is essential to the preaching of the Gospel. People who are unsaved need to hear this truth. If you are unsaved, listen closely to this message. Your eternal destiny is at stake.

Introduction

Romans 1: 18 reads: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness." Our subject today is, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD'S LOVE AND GOD'S WRATH.  It is so sad that multitudes who call themselves Christians have done their best to take the sword of justice and the sword of judgment out of the hands of a Sovereign God. If a "preacher" today does reference the wrath of God, they will do it in an apologetic way. I have heard one "pastor" say, "I want to apologize to you today for bringing a message on 'The Wrath of God.'"

I have known pastors that when a soul came under Holy Spirit conviction that they would try and comfort the person under conviction. You may hear them say, "God loves you just the way you are." "God accepts you just as you are, there is no need to change." "It's important to focus on the love of God." "God's not mad at you, He is mad about you." Let me be clear, such pastors or preachers are enemies to the souls of men. One of the best friends you will ever have is the preacher or teacher who will be true to your soul and present the claims of God, who is not only a God of love but a God of wrath. God's love and His wrath are woven together and are not inconsistent.

As you hear this message, listen to the truths of God's Word and be open to the working of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

Section 1: The Bible and God's Wrath

Many turn away from the subject of God's wrath because they cannot in their darkened, depraved minds reconcile His wrath with His love. They think to speak of God as a God of wrath would put a negative mark on His divine character. They believe you have to uphold the love of God by denying the wrath of God, not knowing that the two go together. WHEN YOU DENY THE WRATH OF GOD, YOU DENY THE LOVE OF GOD. You cannot deny one without the other.

Deuteronomy 32: 39-41 states: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet (sharpen) my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward then that hate me." Did you notice that God said, "I will whet (sharpen) my glittering sword"? The God of the Bible is a God of wrath, and a God of vengeance.

Psalm 7: 11-13 reads: "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If He turn not, He will whet His sword; He hath bent His bow and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors." We see here that "God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword." God has a sword, and it is ready for execution against the enemies of God.  Listening friend, you cannot take the sword of judgment out of the hands of the Sovereign LORD. Don't try it!

If you use a concordance or online Bible search engine, you will find that there are more Scriptures in the Bible which set forth the anger and fury and wrath of God than there are that set forth His love and tenderness. Why is this so? It is because God is holy; God hates sin, and because He hates sin His anger burns against the sinner who will not repent and take his place as a lost sinner at the feet of God. It is either turn or burn! God will not compromise with any sinner. God hates sin, and He will punish sin. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31) Many say that God loves the sinner but hates his sins. Friend, you cannot separate the sinner and his sins unless he repents. Consider this, if God loves the sinner but hates the sin, why doesn't God throw the sin into hell instead of the sinner? Many church pastors are lost themselves and that is why they won't tell you the truth. They are more concerned with:

1. Building buildings.

2. Building church membership rolls.

3. Building their bank accounts.

My expression is that they are driving a little yellow school bus headed to hell with their congregation sitting inside playing games, going on field trip and kow towing to the world and the god of this world, Satan. People no longer tremble under the fearfulness and the awfulness of the judgment of God against sin. Everywhere you turn, you will hear things like this: "Oh, God is such a loving God, God is such a good God, He wouldn't punish sin in me." Friend, if you think this you better think again. Unless you repent and have faith in the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find out how much God hates sin.

The average person's concept of God of the Bible is that He is a lowly Nazarene; some little effeminate, sissy being who wouldn't harm a flea. That is true for the preacher in the pulpit, the attendee in the pew, and the person outside the walls of the church. The only God some know is a god of their own imagination or a creation of their own depraved nature. And God says that they think that He is like they are. Psalm 50: 21 states: "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself."

The wrath of God is as much a Divine perfection as His faithfulness, mercy or power. You don't need to defend Him, nor try and ease the offensiveness of the Gospel to the unsaved. There is no blemish to the character of the God of the Bible, and He has to be a God of wrath if He is to be a God of love. If God is holy (and He is), He has to be a God of vengeance and a God of judgment. If someone is indifferent toward sin, or who covers up sin, or makes light of sin, is a moral leper. He is a God of holiness, and He must hate sin.

How can a person delight only in that which is pure and holy, and at the same time not loathe and hate that which is impure and vile? If you love righteousness, you must hate sin. So, the very nature of God makes Hell a reality. Also, the holiness of God makes heaven a reality, the mercy of God fills heaven with its inhabitants. Similarly, the wrath of God makes Hell a reality, and the judgment of God fills Hell with its inhabitants.

Section 2: What is the Wrath of God?

What do we mean by the wrath of God? The wrath of God means God's eternal detestation of all unrighteousness, whether it is found in you or someone else. The wrath of God means God's displeasure and indignation of Divine equity against evil. The wrath of God is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. The holiness of God means that God literally hates sin and will punish sin in everyone who will not repent. The wrath of God is the moving cause of that last sentence which He passes upon every evildoer, or Christ rejecter.

Why does God hate sin so much? It is because sin is rebelling against His authority. We have said before, man will accept God anywhere except on the throne; and sin is man revolting against the authority of a Sovereign God. Isaiah 45: 23 states: "Unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." A similar statement is found in Philippians 2: 10-11: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Friend, you will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, or YOU WILL GO TO HELL.  The Philippian jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16: 29-30) He was told, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Notice the words "Lord Jesus Christ." There is no salvation without the Lord Jesus Christ! He will be your Lord, or you will face the wrath of God and GO TO HELL. Salvation is not trotting down the aisle, making a decision for Christ, and shaking the preacher's hand, or even being baptized. They are not salvation. Salvation isn't crying a few tears and thinking you have placated God. No! Every sinner who gets saved comes to realize that God is a God of judgment; he is arrested by God and brought into the courtroom of God. He faces the judgment upon him. He comes to know through the work of the Holy Spirit that he is a lost sinner rightfully headed to a devil's hell. He comes to sense the wrath of God upon sin and know he is lost. He sees that he is under a sentence of death. He faces the fact that he is in the hands of an angry God. IT IS THEN AND ONLY THEN THAT HE COMES TO FEEL AND TO KNOW THE MERCY OF GOD IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST FOR SINNERS. THEN, WHEN GOD PARDONS A SINNER LIKE THAT, HE NEVER GETS OVER IT. HE NEVER DOES!

This is a major problem with modern churches and preachers who never teach on the wrath of God. People don't get saved. There are no genuine revivals. No one gets saved. Why, you ask? Because the church leaders have never become new creations themselves. They make a profession, a decision, or they join the church.  Too many people think they are saved but they are not. Worse yet, their "pastors" won't tell them the truth. I believe that the majority of church members are not saved. I attended a church board meeting, and the church leaders were asked to give a word of testimony about when they were saved. I believe there were eight people present:

1. 5 said when they joined the church.

2. 2 said that they went forward at an altar call.

3. Only one person gave a clear testimony of being saved by the blood redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has revealed His wrath on several occasions:

1. The wrath of God was revealed when God flooded the earth.

2. The wrath of God was revealed when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.

3. The wrath of God is revealed in the Sacrifice, "Without shedding of blood (there) is no remission (of sin). (Hebrews 9: 22) 

4. The wrath of God was revealed at the cross at Calvary in the suffering and death of our Lord as a substitute for the sinner.

If you want to see both the love of God and the wrath of God, you look at Golgotha's Hill. There you see Christ crucified and dying in the place of sinners. You hear our Lord's cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" That wrath will one day fall on the unrepentant sinner if he never repents. But in the midst of wrath, you see the Love of God. That love is so deep that it sent the Son of God to the cross to die for the sins of His children. What love to send your Son to die for lost depraved sinners. Yet, that is exactly what God did. You cannot know the love of God until you know the wrath of God.

Section 3: The Wrath of God as a Divine Perfection

Psalm 95: 11 reads: "Unto whom I sware in my wrath." In God's Word, we find two occasions where God swears:

1. Genesis 22: 16-17: "By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee."

2. Deuteronomy 1: 34-35: "And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers."

There He swore in His wrath--He swore in threatening denouncement. In the first one He swore in His mercy to His children; in the second place He swore to terrify the wicked. You can see that you cannot separate wrath from the God of the Bible. Once God swore by His Holiness in Psalm 89: 35, and then in Psalm 95: 11 He swore by His wrath. Therefore, we see that the LORD God puts "My Holiness" and "My Wrath" on the same basis, He will swear by them both.

In Colossians 2: 9 we read, "In Him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." In other words, all Divine Perfections are found in Christ; therefore, we read in Revelation 2: 6: "The wrath of the Lamb." Listen again, "the wrath of the Lamb." The Lamb loves and has wrath. I want you to get this: THE INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES NOT KNOW THE WRATH OF CHRIST DOES NOT KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST. The Lord Jesus Christ is not a little sissy, lowly Nazarene. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is the God-Man. The same Divine Christ that healed and cleansed the harlot, the leper and His friend Lazarus, was the same One that cried out against the Pharisees that they were hypocrites. Our Lord offers rest to those that will come to Him but at the same time proclaims that you must repent or perish. That is our Christ! Do you know Him?

When we come to know the wrath of God against sin, then we come to detest sin. Our hatred of sin is in proportion to our understanding of the wrath of God and God's hatred and abhorrence of sin. There is a tendency to regard sin lightly or make an excuse for it. But as we come to understand and know the wrath of God, we will hate sin and repent and turn away from it. The reason sinners never cry out against sin and mourn over it and bewail their sinful, wretched, wicked hearts is that they have never experienced or felt the keen edge of the sword of justice and the sword of wrath of a sin-avenging God in their depraved hearts.

Do you know, have you experienced the wrath of God?

Section 4: What We Need Today

First, in my humble opinion, I believe with the deepest conviction and that conviction is growing every day, that what is most needed today is a proclamation of the following Bible truths which are the least acceptable to the unsaved religionists of today:

1. We need to set forth the character of God, that is HIS ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY, HIS HOLINESS, HIS JUSTICE, AND HIS UNCHANGING VERACITY.

2. We need preaching on the condition of the natural man, that is HIS TOTAL DEPRAVITY, HIS SPIRITUAL DEADNESS, HIS ABSOLUTE HOSTILITY TO GOD.

3. WE NEED TO WARN SINNERS OF THE DANGER THEY ARE IN.

4. WE NEED TO SET FORTH THE NATURE OF PUNISHMENT (HELL) THAT AWAITS THE LOST.

5. WE NEED TO PREACH HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTION AND BLOOD REDEMPTION.

These are the truths that need to be thundered from pulpits today. Instead, many churches and pastors preach an easy believeism, or decisionism, or anything else that is not offensive to the unsaved. As a result of the weak preaching, sinners are not alarmed about their condition; so called saints have no compassion for the lost. Just don't offend them. Our churches have been lulled to sleep. Sinners are going to hell without warning.

Second, we should meditate and think upon the wrath of God, a true fear of God is produced in our souls. Hebrews 12: 28-29 states: "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire." Friend, you won't serve God unless you have a due reverence for His awful Majesty and a godly fear in our hearts for Him and for His righteous anger.

Third, as we meditate upon the wrath of God, and come to know and to feel the keen edge of the sword of the wrath of God as our hearts are laid bare, we are made to praise Him for delivering us from the wrath to come. Friend, His wrath is coming. ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU SURE? DO YOU KNOW THE CHRIST OF CALVARY? DOES HE KNOW YOU?

Conclusion

My listening friend, I beg you not to ignore this message. His wrath hangs over every lost soul. It is only by His grace that you do not split hell open in the next 3 seconds. Are you sheltered from His wrath? I know that God has delivered me from the wrath of the Lamb by sheltering me under His blood. Do you have an assurance of your salvation? You can. He will never turn anyone away that comes to Him in repentance and in faith.

11-27-2022 Devotion: Challenges

 We can learn much about facing challenges from Habakkuk. When he was facing the threat of the Chaldeans coming and destroying the people, he still rejoiced in the Lord: "Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' (mountain goats) feet and makes me walk on my high places." (Habakkuk 3: 17-19) Consider the circumstances: a powerful enemy is headed your way to kill you, there is no food or drink (and remember this was an agricultural community) and there appears little hope in the eventual outcome. Yet, Habakkuk's response is to recognize God's Sovereignty and wisdom and trust in Him. That is a recipe for dealing with the adversities of life. We recognize Who is in charge and trust His Providence that His Will and Purposes will be fulfilled. Now, you can sleep at night.

11-26-2022 Devotion: Tests

 Second Chronicles 32: 31 gives an illustration of how trials test the strength of one's faith: "God left him (King Hezekiah) alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart." Now, God is omniscient; He didn't need to test Hezekiah to know what was in his heart. God tests us so that we will see what is in our hearts. God will help you to take a spiritual inventory of yourself by giving us trials that demonstrate the strength or weakness of our faith. If you find yourself in the midst of a difficult challenge and your faith is being tested, and if you shake your fist in God's direction as a result, you show that your faith is weak. if, on the other hand, you are resting and rejoicing in the Lord, having placed all into His care, you show your faith is strong.  If you are in the midst of a difficult situation, follow these three steps: (1) Rejoice, (2) pray, and (3) live in a state of thanksgiving. If you practice these three steps, while the challenge may make you weary, you will successfully defeat the challenge. Start today to change how you approach difficult situations AND PEOPLE!

11-25-2022 Devotion: Trials

 We are going to spend a few days reading about the benefits that come from trials and challenges. First, let us consider Abraham in Genesis 22: 1-2: "Now it came about...that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.'" I cannot even begin to imagine how Abraham would have felt. I would have probably reasoned, "but Lord sacrifice is a pagan practice, I can't do that." Also, "but Lord, Isaac is the son of promise." This would be so difficult to process. However, we read in verse 3, "So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son...." I would have slept in, but not Abraham, he woke up early for his mission. I call that commitment. We know from reading further that Abraham goes to the designated place, binds his son and puts him on the altar and prepares to sacrifice him. Many commentators believe Isaac was between 18 and 20, so he had to cooperate in the process. The angel of the Lord stops Abraham and provides an animal sacrifice. This test of faith is almost unfathomable. However, we learn that we must be willing to be tested in what is the nearest and dearest to us. Abraham passed the test. Would you?

11-24-2022 Devotion: Thankful

 Luke 7:44-50

Upon learning of Jesus’ visitation to the Pharisee’s home, this sinful woman came to beg and weep for forgiveness.  She knew of the sins she’s committed, and is now seeking mercy from the Son of God. Because of her remorse and repentance, she lavishly praised the Lord Jesus Christ at His feet by using a bottle of perfume in exchange for oil. On this American holiday known as Thanksgiving, while it is good to be thankful for family and friends, let us begin our celebration thanking the Lord Jesus Christ for His blood sacrifice that He provided that you might be saved and have eternal life. This is not “Turkey Day” or a day focused on football games, it is a day of thanksgiving for our Lord and Saviour. I want to personally testify that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Saviour and without Him and His grace and mercy, I would be eternally lost. Praise His Holy Name! Now, that is a reason to be thankful!

11-23-2022 Devotion: Inhale Exhale

 We will continue looking at Colossians 4: 2: " Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving...." These two words go together: Pray and watch and of course, it should be done with thanksgiving. I’m afraid we hear a lot of pretend religious nonsense about prayer. Recently, I had to be tested for skin cancer. The doctor took a biopsy and determined that I had skin cancer, and they recommended an operation immediately. Friend, I could have come home and taken the approach that God will heal me. I prayed for healing so why go back to the doctor.The doctors recommended a special surgery to remove the cancer. I agreed and had the surgery.  If you want to be an intelligent thinking Christian (and I think you do), then we need to pray and take steps to bring about what you have prayed for.  One old preacher said: An old pastor in Georgia used to make this statement: “When a farmer prays for a corn crop, God expects him to say ‘Amen’ with a hoe.” If you are praying about a certain matter, get busy with it. Then you trust the Lord, and He will bring you through it. That is what I did.” Watch and pray. Be on the job. This is so practical, and do so with thanksgiving. Be sure and thank God always because He is going to hear and answer your prayer. Maybe it won’t be the answer you wanted, but He will answer. This is like breathing: inhale by prayer, exhale by thanksgiving.

11-22-2022 Devotion: Watch

 Colossians 4: 2 reads: " Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving...." These two words go together: Pray and watch. They are very important. They remind us of the experience of Nehemiah. When the enemy tried to stop him from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he didn’t just throw in the towel and cry out that he couldn’t do the job. Nor did he simply say, “Well, we’ll make it a matter of prayer,” and then go on as he had been. No, this is what Nehemiah said: “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them”. This is what Paul tells us here: Watch and pray. An old pastor in Georgia used to make this statement: “When a farmer prays for a corn crop, God expects him to say ‘Amen’ with a hoe.” If you are praying about a certain matter, get busy with it. I remember a line from one of my favorite movies, "Facing the Giants." If you've seen the movie "Facing the Giants" you may remember the scene where the Coach is speaking to the older man Mr. Bridges that prays over the kid's lockers every day. Mr. Bridges feels led to come into Coach Taylor's office and tell him that he needs to bloom where the Lord Plants him and he also tells him a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain for their crops to grow. Although both farmers prayed for rain, only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it.  Mr. Bridges asks, "Which one trusted God to send the rain?" The Coach responds, "The one who prepared," "God will send the rain when He's ready. You need to prepare your fields to receive it," says Mr. Bridges. We need to pray, watch, and then work. And, we are to do so with Thanksgiving.

11-21-2022 Devotion: No

 Today, we conclude our devotional looking at Philippians 4: 6: ""Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Now perhaps you are thinking, but maybe God won’t answer my prayer. I have many unanswered prayers. Friend, I do not believe that you have unanswered prayers, and I think you ought to rethink saying that statement. You may have prayed for a certain thing and didn’t get it, but you did get an answer to your prayer, the answer was just "No."  Let me illustrate this with a very personal illustration. My dad was a good dad, but he wasn't very religious. After World War II, he worked at the Naval Air Station. Every day around 4pm, I would see him get off the bus and begin walking down our street toward our home. It was about 150 yards. I would run to meet him and he would give me a small treat or piece of candy. On a few occasions, I would ask him for something else and sometimes he said, "No."  One time I asked him for something and he said he couldn’t afford it, and the answer was “No.” I can tell you today that I never made a request to him that he didn’t hear and answer. Sometimes the answer was no. I have learned now that the wise reply to most of my requests was no, although I did not think so at the time. But the fact is that he gave an answer to my every request. God has a lot of spoiled children. When He says "no" to them, they pout and say, “I have unanswered prayers.” You don’t have unanswered prayers. God always hears and answers your prayers. We are to express thanksgivings even when He tells us no. We are to be open and honest in our prayers and rejoice with the "yes" and the "no." Don't be a spoiled child, be a blessed one.

Attributes of God Part 2: The Holiness of God

 Today, we continue our series on the Attributes of God. While our LORD has many attributes, we will focus on seven. Last week we studied "The Sovereignty of God." Now, we will teach on "The Holiness of God." The whole world is in revolt against God and is rushing headlong toward hell without brakes. Everywhere you turn the God of the Bible is held in utter contempt by men and women in the pulpit, the pew and the world. There is a spreading over this country a false revival which Satan is using to try to make the world religious without Christ. Satan's masterpiece is an imitation that looks like, smells like, walks like and acts like the original, yet at heart knows not the God of the Bible but worships a god of their own creation. You have heard the words, "God is love, He loves everybody, He is too loving to send someone to hell unless they are a murderer, rapist, or child molester." Poor blinded humanity cannot tell the difference between the God of the Bible and the god of this world. The old paths of Holy Spirit Conviction, Bible repentance and the New Birth are practically unknown. Man has lost his way and is looking for the easiest, fastest and least intrusive method to avoid hell. Man wants fire insurance without transformation. Today's message on the Holiness of God will expose Satan's and man's attempts to compromise the truth contained in the Word of God.

Section 1: The Holy God

If you take a concordance and check the books of Isaiah, Psalms, Kings, Job, Jeremiah and other books of the Old Testament, as well as the Gospels of the New Testament, you will find that God is frequently called "THE HOLY ONE." Even the devils call Him "Thee Holy One." In Revelations 15: 4 reads: "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For Thou art holy."  This is because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. 1 John 1: 5 states: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." This shows there is no shadow of sin connected with Jehovah God. In Exodus 15: 11, we are told the great God is "glorious in holiness." Habakkuk 1: 13 says: "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity."  

His Name is "THE HOLY GOD." There is no blemish or defilement in Him. The Scriptures command us to praise Him for the beauty of holiness (Psalm 9: 2; 96: 9; 110: 3). An old Puritan divine put it like this:

"Power is God's hand or arm, omniscience His eye, mercy His bowels, eternity His duration, but holiness is His beauty." It is the great attribute of holiness which makes Him appear so lovely and beautiful to those who are delivered from the power and dominion of sin. The Prophet Nahum cried out, "The LORD is good." (1:7) Why? Because He is Holy. Every born-again believer knows that he should praise God for the beauty of His Holiness. His Holiness is His beauty. Now, we cannot begin to grasp His Holiness. I believe in our human bodies; we would be struck down because of His Perfection in Holiness. Think about if you could step into heaven's throne room you would hear the redeemed and the angels celebrating His Holiness by constantly saying, "Holy, holy, holy, thou art God; Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts."

God's holiness is set forth probably more than any other of His attributes. It is His attribute of attributes even more than love. In Psalm 89: 35 God said, "Once have I sworn by my holiness." You may ask, "Why does God swear by His Holiness? The reason is that His Holiness is a fuller expression of Himself than anything else. In Psalm 30: 4, we read: "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness."

In Psalm 27: 4 we read of "the beauty of the LORD." And then we are told what this beauty is--listen--it is the "beauty of holiness (Psalm 110: 3)." As His power is His strength, so His Holiness is His beauty. Listen to this: The power of God is YOUR strength. But the holiness of God is OUR beauty. Most of the time we pray for power. How often do you hear people pray for the beauty of holiness of God to be upon your life? What good is strength without beauty? What good is power if you do not have God's holiness showing in your life? Make sure you hear this: WHEN YOU LOSE OUR PURITY AND OUR HOLINESS AS GOD'S CHILD, WE LOSE OUR STRENGTH AND OUR WISDOM AND OUR POWER." THINK ABOUT THE PROMISE OF PENTECOST. THE DISCIPLES WERE PROMISED POWER (Acts 1:8). What did they get? Read Acts 15: 8-9. They received a purified heart. That is what happens when you receive the Holy Spirit! You get a new heart, a purified heart. A heart that has the Holy Spirit dwelling in it. When you have a holy heart, you will also have a hatred for sin. 

May God give us a hatred for sin, an abhorrence of evil and give us grace to turn our backs upon sin and flee from it. 

Our God is a Holy God. If He is our Father, we should reflect His Holiness.

Section 2: God's Holiness Manifested 

 First, God's holiness is manifested in His works. Psalm 145: 17 reads: "The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works." Not one thing can proceed from God that is not holy. Holiness is the rule of all His actions. When God saves a person and makes him a new creation in Christ, He gives him a holy nature that hates sin, that revolts against sin, that abhors sin; and this holy nature cannot sin. It is the nature that loves the holiness of God, that longs after the holiness of God, that sees the beauty of the holiness of God.  Is that your experience listening friend?

Personally, there are two things I know:

1. I know what a sinner I am; I know the old sin nature; I know how sinful it is.

2. I know the holiness of God. I hate sin. I long after the holiness of God. I hate sin. I long after the holiness of the Lord. I do! I want to be more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Is that your desire?

God has saved His children from the penalty of sin, and He breaks the power of sin in the believers' lives now. One day, He will save us from the Presence of sin, and we will be like our blessed Lord--holy and perfect. Until that day, we are to resist the devil, resist sin and draw closer to our Lord every day.

Second, God's holiness is manifested in His law. In Romans 7: 12, we read: "The law is holy, and the commandments holy, and just, and good." Psalm 19: 8-9 state: "The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether." 

The Law demands perfection, the Law does not and cannot bargain with an individual. Ezekiel 18: 4 says: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."  But you can't keep the Law, can you? You can be perfect only by the grace of the living God in your Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, listen to this great truth: God's holiness is manifested at the cross. We see the holiness of God on display as we look to the cross of Calvary. As we gaze upon the Son of God dying for our sins, we see the holiness of God on display. The cross shows God's hatred for sin. A hatred so intense that He sent His Son to die for those sins of His elect. The death of Christ displays God's infinite holiness and His abhorrence of sin. Oh, how hateful must sin be to God, how He must hate sin to punish it to the utmost after having imputed it to His Son.

As we look at the cross, we see the sins of God's elect imputed to Him--counted to Him as His own sins! That is the thing which should break your heart. To know that God imputed your sins to the Lord Jesus Christ. He so hated them and loved you that He laid your sins upon Him--Him who knew no sin! (II Cor. 5: 21) The greatest demonstration of God's hatred for sin is seen, not in His casting the sinner into a devil's hell to be punished for ever and forever, but when He poured out His wrath upon His Son. Listen to me, I want you to get this: Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and more lovely than when the countenance of the Lord Jesus Christ was marred than any (Isaiah 52: 14) in the midst of His dying groans.  We see this in Psalm 22 when God turned His face from our Lord Jesus and thrust His sharp knife of sacrifice into His heart, which forced His lips that terrible cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" 

It is here we see a Holy God hating sin, so abhorring sin that He is suffering the punishment of it in His own body.  on the tree that He might put it away. (I Peter 2: 24) This is why born-again believers can see in Christ such beauty and glory of His perfections, that we are made to cry out as the bride in the Song of Solomon, He is "the chiefest among ten thousand;" He is the "Rose of Sharon," He's the "Lily of the valleys." How glorious He is in His beauty of holiness. We have been made to exclaim: "If only the world knew the beauty of our Lord and the beauty of holiness in Christ Jesus!" Hear me those who are unsaved, if you only knew the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ in all His holiness, as He manifests the holiness of God! Oh, I wish you knew Him. The Son of God was never more beautiful than when He bowed His head on the cross and became our sin substitute by bearing our sins in His own body and receiving the stroke that was due us. 

Let me make a statement that will most likely offend your theology: GOD NEVER FORGIVES SIN!!! You let that sink in. God never forgives sin. His holiness will not allow Him to. God cannot forgive sin. God must punish sin. God doesn't bargain with sin. God doesn't compromise with sin. God doesn't overlook sin. However, GOD DOES FORGIVE THE SINNER, BUT HE NEVER FORGIVES SIN. Sin must be punished. Sinners need a substitute. Blood must be shed, Hebrews 9: 22 reads: "Without shedding of blood is no remission." In other words, God must punish sin in you or your substitute. God cannot forgive your sin; it must be punished. But He will forgive the sinner who repents and has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because Christ died for the believer. 

Awakened sinner, this is your only hope. You have no righteousness that appeals to the LORD. There is nothing in you that He finds attractive. Your only ground of pardon, your only ground of forgiveness is that Christ died for you. God cannot forgive your sins, but He can forgive you on the ground that Christ paid your sin debt in full. Every one of your sins were punished in Christ. The greatest thing in the world is to stand before God forgiven in Christ Jesus.

GOD IS SO HOLY THAT HE WILL NOT FORGIVE SIN. SOMEONE HAS TO PAY THE PRICE. FRIEND, DO YOU HAVE A SUBSTITUTE? I DO AND HIS NAME IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

 Section 3: The Beauty of Holiness

Let's talk about the beauty of Holiness. A holy God hating your sins; a holy God abhorring your sins and mine to the point that He came down and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and in your place and mine He became our Substitute, pouring out His own wrath upon Himself until Justice cried out, "I'm satisfied!" He will come to you sinner and say, "I've paid your sin-debt in full, sinner. Now I can forgive you, because I died for you." The old preacher would say, "Down, down at His feet pleading for mercy on one basis--that your sin debt has been paid in Christ Jesus. Believe it and be saved; disbelieve it and be damned.

Nahum 1: 2 reads: "The LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and He reserveth  wrath for His enemies." Sin is awful in the sight of God, and He says in Hebrews 10: 30-31: "Vengeance belongeth unto me, i will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 

Don't discount the number of sins. One is dangerous. One sin removed Adam and Eve from the Garden. For one sin damnation fell upon the entire human race. For one sin, the descendants of Ham fell under a curse. For one sin the servant of Elisha was smitten with leprosy. For one sin Ananias and Sapphira were stricken dead. God hates sin! God being holy hates sin! If we could just understand this. The central theme of the Holy Bible is the cross of Christ and how it establishes His Holiness. You will never know the meaning of the cross of Christ until you come to know God's hatred of sin as He opens your heart and lets you see that you are a sinner and deserve hell and you come to know the hell in your bosom. 

The unsaved, whether in the pulpit or pew or the world, do not believe in the holiness of God. Friend, do you see the connection between the Holiness of God and the wrath displayed at the cross of Calvary? The unsaved have some kind of hope that God's mercy somehow or in some way will be applied to them and that He will not let them go to hell. This is one reason why most preaching today is so soft and weak. Most modern preaching today does the following: 

1. Emphasizes the love of God for all to the exclusion of the wrath of God.

2. Doesn't talk about specific sins and the consequences of dying in sin.

3. Eliminates any talk of hell.

4. Redefines sin as a mistake, error in judgment or indiscretion. 

These approaches deny the Holiness of God. To understand the Holiness of God you must embrace the wrath of God. When you begin to understand how much God hates sin, the lengths He went to provide a way of salvation and deliverance from sin, you will begin to see the beauty of His Holiness. His Holiness is beautiful because it hates sin and gives us a substitute that we might be saved. God cannot forgive like you, and I forgive. Sin must and will be punished. We must face the fact that the Holiness of God provides only one way to escape His wrath. God forgives our sins upon one basis only, and that is, that they are paid for in Christ Jesus. 

I don't care how religious you are. You may be a Reverend, Sunday School Superintendent, district leader, layman or deacon in the church, it does not matter. You may pray faithfully, but listen friend, you and your prayers will go to hell if you don't have a substitute. God hates your abominable prayers unless they are saturated with the blood of Christ. God's holiness is manifested and demonstrated in His utter hatred of sin. 

Do you know what the average person's idea of sin is? It is what the world calls crime. Everything else man looks upon as a defect, or a mistake, or a weakness, and whenever sin is acknowledged or owned, they make excuses for it. Man today in his totally depraved state will not face the fact of sin. We live today in a world that calls good evil and evil good. What used to be right is now wrong and what was wrong is now right. We are living in the times of Romans 1. People with reprobate minds control the narrative. You can cancel me, but you cannot cancel my Lord Jesus Christ. 

Do you know that the "god" which the vast majority of professing Christian's love, and worship today is looked upon very much like a feeble old man, who himself winks at sin. No! God's Holiness requires Him to hate sin and punish it. Otherwise, He would not be holy if He tolerated sin. Listen to God's Word:

1. Psalm 5: 5: "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity."

2. Psalm 7: 11: "God is angry with the wicked every day." 

Let me be clear, darkness cannot dwell with light. The Holy One will not overlook sin. Sin will not be forgiven. It must be punished. If you have a substitute in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be forgiven. Praise God for this truth!

Conclusion

God's grace has provided in Christ Jesus our Lord a basis for us to escape the wrath of God's Holiness against sin. That which a Holy God demands, His grace provided in Christ Jesus our Lord. My friend, are you ready for a day when you will stand at the judgment bar of God? Are you ready to face the Holiness of God? There is only one way you can be ready. Cry out to the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit to awaken you to your lost condition, repent of your sins and have faith in the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. 

My friend, time is running short. Are you ready?

11-20-2022 Devotion: Talk

 Today, we continue looking at Philippians 4: 6: ""Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Let me share with you some instruction by Fenelon, one of the mystics of the Middle Ages, which seems to encompass what Paul meant when he said, “Pray about everything.” Tell God all that is in your heart, as one speaks honestly and freely from one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your desires, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your  trials and temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the pains in your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love and selfishness makes you unjust to others, how pride tempts you to be insincere.  If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think. Blessed are they who can have an unreserved conversation with God. This is how we can overcome the world and not be given to compromise.

11-19-2022 Devotion: Everything

 Today, we continue looking at Philippians 4: 6: ""Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." But the reason we are to worry about nothing is because we are to pray about everything. This means that we are to talk to the Lord about everything in our lives. Nothing should be left out. Some years ago, I read about someone coming to Dr. G. Campbell Morgan with this question, “Dr. Morgan, do you think we should pray about the little things in our lives?” Dr. Morgan in his characteristically British manner said, “Madam, can you mention anything in your life that is big to God?” When we say that we take our big problems to God, what do we mean? They are all little stuff to Him. And what we call little He wants us to bring to Him also. As believers we need to get in the habit of bringing everything to Him in prayer—nothing excluded. When I go on an airline trip in my car, I invite the Lord Jesus Christ to go along with me. I talk to Him and tell Him everything about Barry Jenkins, things I wouldn’t tell you or anyone else. I tell Him everything. I think we ought to learn to do that. We ought to pray about everything. If we do, we will reduce worry and stress. That is far better than a therapist!

11-18-2022 Devotion: Worry

 We will spend a few days on this verse, Philippians 4: 6: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." “Be careful for nothing” is sometimes translated: Be anxious for nothing, or not overly anxious. The fact of the matter is that Paul seems to be making a play upon two indefinite pronouns: nothing and everything. Let me give you my translation, which I call the Jenkins Translation: “Worry about nothing; pray about everything.” Prayer is the secret of power. “Worry about nothing.” In verse 4 we were given one of the new commandments God has given us: Rejoice. Now here is another commandment. Worry about nothing; pray about everything. Nothing is a very interesting word. If you have something, it’s not nothing—that is not correct grammar, but it is an accurate statement. Nothing is nothing, and you are to worry about nothing. Does this mean we are to look at life through rose-colored glasses, that we are not to face reality? Are we to believe that sin is not real, that sickness is not real, that problems are not real? Are we to ignore these things? No., of course not. Paul teaches that we are to worry about nothing because we are to pray about everything. Nothing is the most exclusive word in the English language. It leaves out everything. “Worry about nothing.” I confess that this is a commandment I sometimes break because I worry, generally, about my wife and children. I need to remember this devotional when I begin to feel the seeds of worry starting to take root. We pray, trust and refuse to worry. This is a life changer.

11-17-2022 Devotion: Give Thanks

 1 Thessalonians 5: 18 reads: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." This verse tells us to “give thanks” in all circumstances, not just once a year, but all the time. In our company, I will hear someone shout, "Praise the Lord," when things go right for their business deal. I want to hear that same, "Praise the Lord," when things don't go the way you planned. When you do that, that is real thanksgiving! The verse also states that giving thanks “is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I hear people ask all the time, "I need to know the will of God for my life." If you come to me and ask what is the will of God for you, I can tell you three specific things that are the will of God for you: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything. That is the will of God for you. If you remember these three things, you will always know the will of God for you. Another reason to give thanks!!!

11-16-2022 Devotion: Thanksgiving

 We will spend a few days studying thanksgiving in the Bible. In little over a week, we will celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving. What does it mean to be thankful? 1 Chronicles 16: 34 reads: " O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." 

The Hebrew word for "thanks" is yada. It means: to express praise, give thanks, extol, make a public confession, make an admission; to praise is to speak of the excellence of someone or something; to give thanks has a focus on the gratitude of the speaker. The first thing I try to do every morning is to thank God that He has allowed me to awake with breath in my lungs. Too often, we take the little things for granted and wait until we have a major issue in our lives to try and be spiritual. It is better to make each day a day of thanks regardless of the challenges. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We can rest in His promises of faithfulness. That is a great reason to give thanks. Remember what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you on the cross at Calvary. He is your substitute. One last thing, don't get caught in the trap that this season is about football or "Turkey Day." It isn't. It is about being thankful to our Lord.

11-15-2022 Devotion: Don’t Turn Back

 Matthew 24: 27 reads: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." When He comes, there will not be any John the Baptist to announce Him. But when He comes, the whole world will know and it will be as public as lightning. Those of you that live in the Middle West know that a lightning storm is a public affair. When it comes, everybody knows about it, and sometimes it is a frightful experience. The Lord’s second coming to the earth will be like that. No one will need to announce it. When our Lord comes the second time to establish His kingdom on earth, everyone will know He is coming. (Remember that His second coming to earth does not refer to the Rapture.) My heart hurts when I think about those that started the path of following Christ, but they turned back. No, I believe they were pretenders, not really saved. I want to do all I can to spread the Gospel, to throw out the net with the truth that a few might be saved. I don't see a worldwide revival before the end. Yes, a few will be saved and those are the ones we are trying to reach. Our Lord is coming again soon! Tell someone!

11-14-2022 Devotion: Packed

 Today, we shift from the Rapture to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the Rapture, Christ returns to remove the church before the Tribulation period begins. At the Second Coming, Christ comes all the way back to earth and begins the final judgment against sin. Matthew 16: 27 reads: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." The person who will not assume the risks involved in becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ will, in the long run, lose his life eternally. The opposite is also true. At Christ’s second coming all accounts will be settled and everyone will receive his proper rewards. There is coming a time of rewards in the future for believers. Here, however, the Lord was concerned with the reward of the ungodly—final and eternal judgment. Know for certain that a time is coming when all will be made right. True believers look forward to this day, a day when we will be with our Lord forever and ever. Glory! What a day that will be! Are you ready? Have you packed?

Attributes of God Part 1: The Sovereignty of God

 Today, we begin a new series on the Attributes of God. While our LORD has many attributes, we will focus on seven. This first study is on "The Sovereignty of God." When I speak of the Sovereignty of God, I mean that God is elevated infinitely above the highest creature, and that He is the Most High, Lord of Heaven and earth. We mean that God is subject to none, influenced by none and is absolutely independent, that He does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases, and none can thwart Him, and none can hinder Him. He is Absolute Sovereign. Isaiah 46: 10 says: "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." He says again in Daniel 4: 35: "He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

When I say God is Sovereign, I mean that God is God in fact, in name, and that He is on the throne, the throne of the universe, and according to Ephesians 1: 11, He "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" as it pleases Him. The Sovereignty of God means He does not take man into His counsel, or consult man about what He does, but that He is supreme Monarch and Absolute Authority. 

This topic was once understood and believed by the churches and the ministry, but today you very seldom, if ever, hear the phrase used in the pulpit, or see it in print in Christian literature. In fact, a religious leader in the South said, "God is not the only one who is sovereign, but man is also sovereign." That statement is incorrect. There cannot be two voices of authority in the universe. Either God is Sovereign, and man is a servant of God or man is sovereign and God is subject to man. I am here to proclaim to you that God is Sovereign, and man is not!!!

Section 1: The Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God 

The Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is the basic doctrine, or the foundational doctrine, of all the teachings of God's Word. All other teachings of the Word of God have for their foundation the Sovereignty of God. The Doctrine of Election is based on the Sovereignty of God. The Doctrine of Election is the foundation of the Doctrine of Blood Redemption. You cannot change that. All other doctrines have the Sovereignty of God or their foundation. 

When I speak of the Sovereignty of God, I mean the Supremacy of God, I mean the Kingship of God, I mean the Godhead in His Fullness, and according to Psalm 115:3, I mean that God is on the throne in Heaven and does whatever He pleases.  I mean according to Psalm 22:28, that God is "the governor among the nations," and that He sets up kingdoms, overthrows kingdoms, and determines the course of every nation. According to 1 Timothy 6:15, He is "the only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of Lords." I mean by the Sovereignty of God that He is absolute, irresistible and infinite; I affirm by the Word of God that He has the right to govern the universe which He has made or His glory and do it as He pleases. When I speak of the Sovereignty of God, I affirm according to God's Word in Romans 9: 20-22 that He has the right (as a potter over the clay) to fashion every individual He chooses, whether to honor or to dishonor He has a right to do as He pleases. Every individual who is ever saved comes to recognize the Sovereignty of God. 

Today in most churches, there is a lack of understanding and teaching on this subject. I have said many times that today "preachers" deify man and humanize God. The "god" of today is a helpless, effeminate being whom man can push round and bully as he pleases. The "god" of today's pulpit is an object of pity rather than a God on the throne, who inspires reverence and obedience in His creatures. The "god" today is a disappointed, dissatisfied and defeated being. It is like He is on the sidelines of a sporting event just hoping someone will "accept" Him or make "decision" for Him. No, that is not the picture of the Sovereign LORD! God is on the throne, and He does as He pleases and directs the universe according to His set plan and purpose for His Glory regardless of what man thinks about it.

Let me say from personal testimony that there is no attribute of God more comforting to me than the Sovereignty of God. My wife and I own a successful business and we are navigating challenging times due to inflation and interest rates since we are in real estate. Every day we acknowledge God's Sovereignty and Providence, and we submit to His Will and Purposes. The Sovereignty of God ordains our afflictions, severe trials, and whatever challenges we face. I take great comfort that nothing touches me that does not first pass by the throne room of Heaven where my LORD sits in glory. I believe and accept our Lord Jesus Christ my Master and Lord and I accept and embrace His right to sit upon the throne. That is shouting ground for me! Our God reigns and that includes the good and the not so good. 

On the other hand, the Sovereignty of God is the doctrine most hated by the world and unsaved religionists. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on the throne as Sovereign. They will allow Him to be a "heavenly grandfather" who dispenses gifts and favor and prosperity to everyone. They will agree that He love everyone. They will allow Him to order and sustain the universe, winds and waves. However, once the Sovereign Lord ascends the throne, the unsaved religionists will cry and gnash their teeth because they are not willing to bow to Him in dust and ashes of repentance and own Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The unsaved demand to be in charge and refuse to acknowledge the LORD as the Sovereign Authority over them.

I say, "Thank God for His Sovereignty!"

Section 2: The Manifestations of the Sovereignty of God

When we say that God is Sovereign, we mean that HE IS SOVEREIGN IN THE MANIFESTATIONS, OR THE EXERCISE, OF HIS POWER. Matthew 28: 18 reads, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Psalm 62: 11 states: Power belongeth unto God." This means that God manifests His power as He wills, when He wills and where He wills. We see this fact throughout the entire Word of God, and when He puts forth His power it is irresistible. No man can stand before Him. Consider the following Biblical examples:

1.  Pharaoh tried to hinder Israel from serving God in the wilderness. God manifested His power, His people were delivered, and their enemies slain. In contrast, the Amalekites made war with Israel for the purpose of destroying them, however God did not manifest His power in their destruction. Instead, He said He would, "have war with Amalek from generation to generation." (Exodus 17:16)

2. When the Israelites faced the Red Sea, God supernaturally divided the waters so the Israelites could pass on dry ground. The LORD caused the walls of Jericho to fall down on His command. However, God never manifested His power in the overthrow of any other city after this manner. The Israelites had to take the cities by force in battle array.

3. God stretched forth His hand to deliver David from Goliath, Daniel from the lions' den, the three Hebrew children from the fiery; but in Hebrews we read: "And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented." Why the different treatment? THE ANSWER IS GOD IS SOVEREIGN, AND HE EXERCISES HIS POWER WHEN HE PLEASES AND ON WHOM HE PLEASES. 

4. God allowed Stephen to be stoned to death in Acts 7, yet He delivered Peter from prison (Acts 12). Why? Because God is Sovereign. God allowed James to be killed with a sword; John, his brother, died a natural death. David Brainard preached only seven years and died of tuberculosis before he was thirty. Charles Finney preached until he was ninety. Why the difference? Because God is Sovereign.

5. Methuselah outlived all his contemporaries. Samson was given supernatural strength. One man makes millions of dollars while another man lives in poverty. Deuteronomy 8:18 says: "But thou remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth." Why does God let one man preach to millions, yet to another he preached to a handful? Why? Becayse God is Sovereign.

GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS MERCY TO THE SOULS OF MEN.  No man deserves mercy. No individual has a right to God's mercy. Every person is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked (Revelations 3: 17), and deserves to be so because man is completely depraved. We all deserved to be damned. Let that sink in! Ezekiel 18: 4 reads: "the soul that sinneth it shall die." Romans 3: 23 states: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

God is Sovereign in the exercise of His mercy. God bestows His mercy upon whom He pleases. Look at the two thieves on the cross. One went to paradise, and one didn't. The sentence of death was passed on Moses for one act of disobedience. He asked God to remove it, but God in His Sovereignty said, "NO!" Look at Hezekiah who was sick unto death. He asked God to spare his life. God added fifteen years to his life (2 Kings 20: 1-6). Why did answer Hezekiah's prayer but not Moses' prayer? Because He is Sovereign. 

One day the Lord Jesus Christ was walking by the Pool of Bethesda, where a multitude of sick people were waiting for the moving of the waters. The first one in would be healed. In that large group was a man who had been cripple for many years. The Lord Jesus Christ healed him and told him to, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk...." Christ healed that poor man. Why didn't He heal any others. The man He healed exercised no faith, did not ask to be healed and was not expecting to be healed. Why did Christ heal him? Because of the Sovereignty of God. 

Why did God pick out Naaman to be healed of leprosy, yet leave all the others to suffer? Because He is Sovereign. We need to grasp the idea that God does not have to show mercy on you. God only has to leave you alone for you to go to hell. We don't deserve to be saved. But PRAISE GOD THAT HE EXTENDS HIS GRACE TO YOU TODAY BY ALLOWING YOU TO HEAR THE TRUTH!

Section 3: God's Sovereignty in the Exercise of His Love

God is Sovereign in the exercise of His love. When I say He is Sovereign in His love, I mean that God loves whom He chooses. God does not love everybody. If He did, He would love the devil. Do you realize that no fallen child of Adam's race has anything that would attract the love of God? God loves whom He will and the cause of this love is found only in God.

Ephesians 2: 3 states: "We all...were by nature the children of wrath." According to John 8: 44, we are all the children of the devil, and according to Matthew 3: 7 we are all the offspring of vipers, and according to the 16th chapter of Ezekiel we are all illegitimate children born out of wedlock, dead in trespasses and sins, totally corrupt and discarded on the garbage heap of the world as fit subjects for hell. There is nothing in us that would be attractive to God in His Holiness.

Someone is surely to say, what about John 3:16: "For God so loved the world." In the preceding verse, we learn that the whosoever believes are the people being referenced in verse 16. Let me paraphrase, "For God so loved the ones that believe, that He gave...." The "world" in verse 16 are not the lost, but rather the ones that believe. The Scriptures call these people the "elect." God's love for the elect is traced to His Sovereignty. Follow me now, God does not love by rule. If God loved by rule, God would be under law; and if God were under law, He would not be supreme, i.e., Sovereign. 

God is a law unto Himself. Romans 9: 13 reads: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. God said this even before they were born. He did that so we would know that His love was based on Himself and not the actions or will of Jacob or Esau. His love is manifested in the ones He selects and chooses to be the objects of His love. I have no understanding of why chose to shed His light into my heart. I didn't deserve it. I didn't want it, nor did I desire it. However, when the Holy Spirit awakened me to my sinful condition, I knew I had no hope but in the Lord Jesus Christ and I came running to the foot of the cross. He chose me, accepted me in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). He drew me with lovingkindness of an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and shed abroad His love in my heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). 

Listen to Ephesians 1: 3-5: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." The Father's election was "in love" before the foundation of the world. Before you ever were born, did one act or had one thought, the Father had chosen you. It was "according to the good pleasure of his will." Whose will, was it? Was it your will? No, it was the Father's will! God did not choose you because of some good in you. You get to take no credit with the true gospel message. 

To me this is one of the greatest, most comforting truths in God's Word--to think that I have been an object of His love before the foundation of the world, and that He knew me before I was ever born. This position takes all your pride away, it deflates your ego, and exposes your depravity. 

The justice of God demands the enforcement of God's law/ All have sinned and therefore all deserve death and hell. However, in a show of love, God has sent His grace into the hearts of many showing the bestowal of His grace upon the underserving. 

Justice said: "I demand an impartial enforcement of the law.

Love said: "My elect must live."

The Second Person of the Trinity the Lord Jesus Christ said, "Father, I will interpose for Your elect; I will pay their sin debt. Our Lord Jesus Christ was successful in His mission: He was born a baby, grew to be a man, was crucified, died, buried, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. That is love! The Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to call out His chosen ones and to reveal to their hearts that they were corrupt, lost and headed to hell. The Spirit showed them their lost condition and the truth about their heart. He awakened them and brought them to Christ to see His sacrifice and the narrow way. The lost soul sees Christ as his substitute and his only hope. He clings to the Savior and becomes a new creation in Christ. 

That is God's Sovereign love for the lost. He would not leave His children to face judgment, but in love, chose them for salvation. You know you are among those chosen if you want Christ. How can I say that? Because the Scriptures tell us, He will never turn anyone away that comes to Him. That is how you know you are among the elect, because you want to be! 

Conclusion

The truth about the Sovereignty of God does away with your "decision for Christ," your "profession of faith," or joining a church as a basis for your salvation. Those things will not save you. The greatest thing in the world is to be an object of God's love and an object of God's mercy and His grace. Think about how far you have pushed Him away, rebelled against His laws, denied Him and abused His Name, yet He still loves you! He does so because He Is Sovereign! Now, that is the God I know; that is the God I preach; that is the God I worship; that is the God of the Bible!

Is He your God?