Rebellious Children

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.” Isaiah 1:2

No one knows the pride, stubbornness, and blindness of rebellion any more than God. God made Adam and Eve, gave them everything, yet they turned their back upon God to satisfy their own belly.

But, “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 30:1 Rebellion is a combination of both willful and deliberate sin. It is not only disobedience to God’s Word, it is also defiance to God’s authority. It is not only doing what Satan wants, but it is also becoming the person that promotes lifestyles that are Satanic, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” 1 Samuel 15:23.

Rebellion always backfires. A person who rebels thinks they are getting away from God. But rather than rebellion deliver one from responsibility to God, it just indicts one for their transgression against God, thus mandating judgment and penalty against them for sin: “But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.” 1 Samuel 12:15

The strength of rebellion is the folly of sinful pride and self exaltation. A person in rebellion thinks they are in control of their life. But nothing is farther from reality. A person in rebellion has surrendered their powers of reason unto lies. Their judgment is perverted. Their eyes no longer see, their ears no longer hear. They discern not that which is unto their own ruin. But the strength and nature of rebellion is what will bring about the overthrow of the rebellious: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 “He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1

The horror of rebellion is that rebellion destroys the bridges that one would need to be able to retreat from the serious consequences of rebellion, “For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” Proverbs 1:29-31.

“Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” Hebrews 3:15

“Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord.” Malachi 3:7

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Maturity

Maturity is the ability to do a job whether you are supervised or not, finish a job once it is started, carry money without spending it, and able to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.

Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle differences without violence.

Maturity is patience. It is willingness to postpone immediate gratification in favor of the long term gain.

Maturity is perseverance, the ability to sweat out a project or a situation in spite of heavy opposition and discouraging setbacks.

Maturity is the capacity to face unpleasantness and frustration, discomfort and defeat, without complaint or collapse.

Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to say, “I was wrong.” And when right, the mature person need not experience the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”

Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it. The immature spend their lives exploring endless possibilities; then they do nothing.

Maturity means dependability, keeping one’s word, coming through in a crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi. They are confused and disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends, unfinished business, and good intentions that somehow never materialized.

Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change, the courage to change that which can be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference.

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Be Ye Separate

“Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 19:2

Faith will bring us to conclude that the foremost responsibility of those who have been reconciled to God, is to be reconciled with God in what we are doing and where we stand, “…be ye reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:20.

The difficulty of doing this is to be resolved with the spirit of loyalty to Christ above all else, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

In 2 Chronicles 18, Jehoshaphat had stood with Ahab, rather than separate from him. Ahab was serving sin, while Jehoshaphat was a servant of God. Under ordinary circumstances, Jehoshaphat would have distanced himself from Ahab, not wanting to identify himself with Ahab’s sins. But as the situation was, Jehoshaphat’s children were married to Ahab’s children. Due to his affinity, Jehoshaphat looked for all the reasons he should help Ahab, while discounting all the reasons he should be separate from him.

No matter how much love and good will Jehoshaphat was moved to manifest towards Ahab, it still did not change what Ahab was doing in the eyes of the Lord. Thus, the message God gave to his prophet to deliver to Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 19:2: “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.”

God commands His children to withdraw ourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the teachings and doctrines of God’s Word, 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

God commands His children to not be partaker with the sins of others, but rather keep ourselves pure, 1 Timothy 5:22. Not only are we not to fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, we are rather to reprove them, Ephesians 5:11.

To stand with those who are doing wrong, only encourages them in their wrong doing, and sends a message to others that wrong doing is an acceptable way of life: “Let favor be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.” Isaiah 26:10.

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It’s Still Mocking

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceive thereby is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1

Whenever there is a shooting where innocent lives are taken, the cry goes forth to take away the guns. However, our forefathers knew that private citizens without guns would allow a tyrannical government to have complete control over the populace, thus the second amendment to the constitution.

To take away guns would not eliminate murders, etc., which have been committed long before guns were invented. These crimes proceed from sin in the human heart: “for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries…” Matthew 15:19.

When it comes to the destruction of innocent lives, the wreck and ruin of relations, unlawful actions, etc., with all of the costs thereof, alcohol ranks at the top of the list. Yet those who claim to champion the cause of protecting innocent lives, are not calling for alcohol to be banned. Rather, it is celebrated and lifted up as a great thing.

No matter how horrible conditions become, alcohol remains as a “sacred cow” with the lost world. Even in the midst of the devastation of the Great Tribulation to come, the order goes forth: “…see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:6

God’s Word continues to sound the alarm as to the evil and wickedness of alcoholic beverages: Galatians 5:19-21 declares drunkenness to be a work of sinful flesh, along with immorality, murders, hatred, heresies, etc., “…that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Some try to defend their drinking by saying they do it in moderation. But is that not like saying, “I only commit murder, adultery, and hate with moderation”?

Not only does God’s Words declare drunkenness to be a characteristic of those who are not saved (1 Corinthians 6:10), but He also forbids His children to eat with professed Christians who are drunkards (1 Corinthians 5:11).

Be not deceived! Wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging! GOD COMMANDS TOTAL ABSTINANCE FROM ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Proverbs 23:29-35.

God’s wisdom to prevent drunkenness is fool proof, for if a person never takes the first drink, they will never become a drunkard.

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Shewing Forth The Lord’s Death

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death, till he come.” 1 Corinthians 11:26

THE LORD’S SUPPER WAS INSTITUTED ON THE NIGHT OF THE PASSOVER OBSERVANCE: “…That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:” (1 Corinthians 11:23). “For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The PASSOVER set forth Christ’s redemptive work in typology. The Lord’s Supper sets forth Christ’s redemptive work in a pictorial ordinance. BOTH AGREE! They set forth the same redemption and the same Redeemer. There was one law that governed the observance of the Passover–there were to be no exceptions granted. No stranger was to partake with the congregation, and only those in covenant with the congregation were to observe the ordinance with the congregation.

THUS, THE LORD’S SUPPER IS TO BE OBSERVED IN LOCAL CONGREGATION CAPACITY. “…when ye come together in the church” 1 Corinthians 11:18, “When ye come together therefore into one place” 1 Corinthians 11:20, “…when ye come together to eat” 1 Corinthians 11:33.

The Church is to have jurisdiction over this ordinance. The Church has no jurisdiction over non-members. Neither can non-members examine themselves in view of their standing in the Body (Local Church) that is observing the ordinance. The Lord’s Supper is not an individual ordinance, but a church ordinance. Any non-member is not in the position of partaking as a member of the church observing the ordinance. A non-member has neither responsibility, obligation, nor rights as a member of the local church.

THERE IS NO CANNIBALISM OR VAMPIRISM IN THE PARTAKING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER. We are eating unleavened bread (a type of Christ’s sinless body broken for us), and drinking the fruit of the vine (a type of Christ’s precious blood shed for us). We are neither eating His flesh, nor drinking His blood.

THE LORD’S SUPPER IS A PICTORIAL ORDINANCE, NOT A SACRAMENT! The Lord’s Supper shows forth the properties upon which our salvation is established–the sacrificial offering of Christ in our stead. To make the Lord’s Supper out to be a sacrament (a requirement to help be saved and keep saved), makes the deed of observing as having saving power, rather than observing that which the ordinance sets forth as being the merits of our salvation–the blood and body of Christ!

As often as we do it, we show the Lord’s death till He come!

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