Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
In Southeastern California, nestled between the Great basin and Mojave desert is the hottest place on the entire Earth. On July 10th in 1913, temperatures in an area known as Furnace Creek reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit. I can barely sit in a hot tub when it’s 104°, and can’t imagine what it must have felt like on that day. When you think about it, at that temperature you could make beef jerky! I guess it was just a little spike in the heat that afternoon, because normal summer temperatures prevail above 113°. The basin is approximately 282 ft below sea level, and was given the name Death valley by a group of pioneers who were lost in the area in the winter of 1849-1850. They figured that they were never going to make it out of there alive.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Death valley may be hot, but there is nothing that can ever be compared to the punishment that awaits the wicked. It is a place of eternal fire, filled with such devastating heat that it will never be quenched, a punishment reserved for the impenitent, and a prison one will never escape.
Matthew 13 ⁴¹ The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; ⁴² And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
There will certainly be eternal consequences for the way that you live your life. In these latter days, many people have become so hardened that they don’t think punishment will happen to them. They don’t believe that there will be any retribution for the bad things that they do. But the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a God of Justice, and will punish accordingly. Those who choose to sow to their flesh will reap His vengeance, both here on the Earth and in the world to come. The refusal to repent, will result in the fires of damnation.
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7
It doesn’t matter if someone claims to be a Christian or not, what matters is if they repented. Each person is going to reap what they sow.
Romans 2 ⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; ⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds: ⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: ⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; ¹⁰ But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: ¹¹ For there is no respect of persons with God.
Galatians 6 ⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Jesus and disciples constantly preached the message of repentance.
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Matthew 13 ⁴⁷ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: ⁴⁸ Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, ⁵⁰ And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
As this world stood on the precipice of God’s Great judgment, Noah walked in the fear of God, understanding God’s Divine justice against sin would soon come to pass.
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7
John the Baptist was filled with the same faith.
Matthew 3 ¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: ¹² Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
A true Christian in heart will possess the fear of God. Although God cares for the world which He created, it does not deter the fact that His justice must and will prevail.
2 Thessalonians 1 ⁶ Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; ⁷ And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸ In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
⁹ Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
To truly be a Christian in one’s heart, is to go and sin no more. It is to crucify the flesh, and the old sinner that you once were. The result of sinful living is death and will reap the punishment of the Lake of Fire.
Romans 8 ⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
The only way to inherit eternal life is by permanently removing sinful behavior in our lives.
Romans 8 ¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. ¹³ For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
People can leave Death Valley, but those who enter into eternal judgment with God will take up permanent residency in a place that they will wish for death, but not find it.
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:46
Our God is a God of Justice and to be feared. Repentance is the key to becoming pleasing unto Him. Where do you want to live eternally, because I guarantee you will be in one place or the other. You will either enter into the joy of the Lord, or into His everlasting contempt. The Lake of Fire is reserved for the impenitent, and is hotter than anything you could ever fathom. Hopefully you’ll think about that, if you get the opportunity to take a stroll through….
….. Death Valley
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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