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Judge Of The Earth

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Psalm 94:1-3
“O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;render punishment to the proud.
Lord, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?”

There are certain Biblical topics that we love to avoid. While it is wonderful to share about the love, mercy and grace of God, we are a bit more reluctant to speak regarding His holiness or the reality of divine judgment. The Bible, however, has much to say regarding God’s view of sin, and the fact that the day is coming when He will exact vengeance on those who live in rebellion against Him.

It is not as though there are two irreconcilable sides of God’s personality. His mercy and His vengeance both stem from His great love. His love for all humanity, and desire for the salvation of every man woman and child in the world, causes Him to endure the mocking jeers of the rebel, as well as allowing His children to suffer the weight of an increasingly ungodly world. When your heart breaks over the condition of the world, think about how God is holding back His judgment so sinners have time to hear and respond to the message of the Gospel. Nevertheless, the day is coming when God will exact His vengeance on this fallen and rebellious planet. The cries of His people for justice are stored up in the throne room of heaven and will one day be poured out on the earth. The workers of iniquity will be punished for their rebellion against God and their mistreatment of His children.

No man has to face the judgment of God. We can all avoid it by trusting in the work of Christ on the cross. If we choose to reject Christ then we are choosing to face the vengeance of God, without the covering of Christ. Imagine standing alone and unguarded in the face of a violent storm, with nothing to provide you with covering or protection.

Pastor Jim

You Are Precious

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Amos 8:6
“That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of sandals— Even sell the bad wheat?”

Because of sin, conditions in the nation of Israel had become so bad people were essentially, selling themselves to have their basic needs met. Men, women, and children were involved in deplorable acts for pennies. Amos figuratively describes a person who had sold themselves for a pair of shoes. I have often been struck by how little some people value themselves. Their self worth is so low, they will sell themselves to the first person who will give them the time of day. I think it might do us good to consider the value God places upon us.

You are not a byproduct of random chance that could be reproduced in a laboratory, with a few dollars worth of parts from the local hardware store. You are a highly valued work of the creative genius of God. In fact, you are the height of His creation, far above any thing else He made, for you were created in the very image of God. So important are you, that the Bible declares you were purchased by God. Peter explains,  the purchase price was not perishable things like silver and gold, but you were bought with the life of the Son of God. God gave up what He could not replace to purchase you for Himself. You are not a sale item, to be given away at a bargain basement price, to the first person who will look your way. Don’t settle for ungodly relationships or get get involved in harmful practices, because you are simply worth way too much for that.

Pastor Jim

 

Feeling Special

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Ezekiel 25:8
“Thus says the Lord God: ‘Because Moab and Seir say, “Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations…”‘“

Moab and Israel had a long and sorted history, dating back to Israel’s journey to Canaan. It was the king of Moab who hired the prophet Balaam to curse the people of God. Unable to curse those whom God had blessed, Balaam resorted to counseling Moab on how to put a stumbling block in the way of the people of God. They sent many of the young, attractive Moab women into the camp of Israel, with the purpose of luring the men into ungodly relationships and activity. This plan worked and many of the people of God fell into sin, and some even died for their misconduct. This animosity between the two nations continued, and almost a thousand years later, Ezekiel explains the reason Moab despised Israel. He writes

“Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations . . .’”

Although God considered Israel to be different than the nation’s surrounding them, Moab and Seir thought of them just as any other group of people. It is not difficult to understand their position. The Israelites looked no different than the nation’s around them; they had many of the same problems, conflicts, and personal weaknesses of their neighbors. The reality is, Israel was not special because of their strength, might, or even godliness. They were special because God, in His sovereignty, chose to place his hand of blessing upon them. Joshua tells us, it was while Abraham and his family were living in Babylon worshipping false gods that the Lord appeared to him.  God called him, gave him the promise of many defendants, of being given a land, of becoming a nation, and of being the conduit by which the Messiah would come into the world. Later, Moses would explain that Israel was chosen, not because they were the greatest of people in the world, but because God chose to put His love upon them.
The same is true of you and me. As a child of God, we are a special people above those who have not chosen to trust in Christ. Our favor is not because we are smarter, taller, stronger, or even holier, than those who have not trusted Christ. This favor comes from the simple fact that we are in a relationship with God through Christ. Mary, the mother of Jesus was called, “highly favored and blessed among women”, her favor was based upon the sovereign choice of God, and the fact that Christ dwelt in her. If you have accepted Christ, Paul refers to you as “accepted in the beloved”, which is the same phrase used of Mary. You are highly favored because of the sovereign choice of God, and the fact that Christ dwells in you.
Don’t make the same mistake Moab did by considering yourself, or others who have come to Christ, just like all other people. We are the children of God. Also, let’s be careful not to neglect the responsibility that comes with that blessing. Israel often failed to see that their position was designed by God as a means to be the light of the world, leading others to faith in Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Bad Things. Good people 

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Job 40:8
“Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?”

When Job’s counselors accused him of wrong, he began to justify himself before them. They claimed he was a sinner, so he declared his righteousness. As this argument continued to develop, Job’s justification began to cast blame upon God. If Job was innocent, then God must be wrong for allowing these things to happen to him. Perhaps this was the earliest development of the accusation we offer hear today, “how could God allow bad things to happen to good people.”

God responds to this by pointing out that Job’s defense is really a form of accusation against the nature of God. This is not uncommon. The children of Israel did it in the wilderness when they accused Moses of leading them out of Egypt to die in the wild. The apostles did it when they accused Jesus of not caring about them when the waves began to crash over the boat, and we do it whenever we complain that the circumstances we are facing are unfair.

This is not just the behavior of the new, weak or carnal Christian. This is something we all struggle with. It is often difficult to accept that an uncomfortable or even painful experience could be allowed by a God who loves us. However, when we look at the heroes of faith, we come to realize that many of them faced extremely difficult experiences, and those experiences are often what forged them into the people they became. I think immediately of Paul and Silas, who upon being arrested, beaten, shackled and placed in prison, began to sing songs of worship. It was their attitude of trust, rather than accusation, that led to others coming to faith in Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

Invest In The Future

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Proverbs 13:7
“There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.”

Solomon is suggesting it is possible to have earthly possessions and yet to possess nothing of true value. At the same time, it is possible to have next to nothing, and have great wealth. He is not saying wealth is evil and poverty is good, but that within God’s economy, some things are of much greater value than others. The Bible teaches us there are three things that are eternal, and investments made in these areas will give a person lasting riches.

First off, God Himself is eternal. Before the universe existed, there was God. He is the un-caused cause that brought all other things into being. He is the source of all life, and the one who holds all things together. He is the one to whom we will give an account when our lives run their course. While it is not wrong to make capital investments and to store up for your family’s future, we must not do it at the expense of investing in a relationship with God. The most important investment we make is a decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Second, the Word of God is eternal. The writer of Hebrews explained that one day the heavens above us and the earth we stand upon, will be folded like a garment and replaced, but the Word of God will last forever (Hebrews 1:11-12). Every promise of God is eternal, and every investment of the Word of God in our lives, will bring eternal benefits. Often, the thing that keeps us from investing time in the Word, is the fact that we do not think it makes a difference. The reality is, when time has run its course, and the things of this life are a distant memory, we will still be reaping the benefits of our investments in the Word of God.

Finally, the Bible teaches us that the souls of men and women are eternal. God has done everything possible for each and every person to spend eternity with Him. He sent His Son to die for us, His Spirit to draw us, and His church to be an influence to win us. When we realize how much others matter to God, and we seek to influence them for eternity, we are making investments that will outlast time. The most important place where these investments are made is within the home.

There is nothing wrong with making earthly investments. There is nothing inherently wrong with riches, or with enjoying much of the pleasures that come with wealth. However, there are things of much greater value than stocks, portfolios, profit margins and real estate holdings. The things that matter most, are the things that last forever. Don’t neglect to store up riches where they really matter.

Pastor Jim

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