Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
We have some incredible days up here in Northern Minnesota, but we can also have some serious storms. I can remember one time when my family was setting up our tent at a campground just north of Ely Minnesota. It was an absolutely gorgeous Friday afternoon as we began unloading the trunk of the car and transferring everything into our temporary weekend shelter. But just as I finished putting in the last tent stake, a powerful storm blew through the area. We were right in the middle of a severe thunderstorm warning, and before we knew it, we were being pounded with rain and hail. In fact, it was so strong that we thought that the tent was going to pull right out of the ground with us still in it! Fifteen minutes later, the sun came out and it was absolutely beautiful once again, making it hard to believe that it was the same day. I was very thankful the tent had held together and that the Lord had kept it from ripping to shreds.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
The kingdom of heaven is going to be an absolutely beautiful place that the Lord is preparing for His faithful Saints. On the other hand, His extreme wrath will be poured out upon the devil and his angels, sending them to a place of everlasting punishment that is reserved for the unbelieving and the impenitent.
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:22
Severe means very serious or done in a stern manner. It is being extremely harsh and strict when dealing with others whose behavior warrants that response. How many times have you heard people say that they didn’t like living at home because their dad was too strict with them? These people don’t know how good they had it. If people are going to rebel and misbehave, what do you expect is going to happen? The man of the house has been charged with the responsibility of keeping his wife and children on the straight and narrow. He is to be feared and respected for the position God has placed him in over his own household. Obey him and do what is right, and you will have praise of the same! When they are strict, they are rigorous in restraint, punishment, and discipline, training you to do what is good and right. Those who refuse to endure the chastening of their own dad, are on the path that leads to destruction.
Hebrews 12 ⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
You think an earthly dad was strict? How quickly people forget that God destroyed an impenitent world in a flood. How quickly people forget that He reduced Sodom and Gomorrah into a pile of ashes. God hasn’t changed, and He will eventually burn up this entire world with the fire of His everlasting contempt.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10
God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked, I think that’s fair don’t you?
John 5 ²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:46
Just think of all the people in high places of government who abuse the places of authority that God created. Some of them actually believe that there will never be any consequences for what they do. Mark my words, these things shall not go unpunished, and watch as God turns their lives upside down in the fierceness of His wrath.
Deuteronomy 28 ²⁰ The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. ²¹ The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. ²² The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
Those who reject the call to repentance will be punished quickly by God. Those who refuse to fear Him are going to enter into a world of hurt, as He will punish them with plagues, sickness, and destroy them with death. Does that sound strict? Of course, but they earned it!
“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1
“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” Revelation 3:3
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1
Proverbs 6 ¹² A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. ¹³ He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; ¹⁴ Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. ¹⁵ Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
The Lord is very merciful and kind, but He is also a God of Justice and wrath.
John 2 ¹⁴ And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: ¹⁵ And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Revelation 19:15
We live in an era of great wickedness and a huge form of false Christianity that does not possess any fear of God for the repercussions and consequences for their sinful activities. It will get steadily worse right up until the return of the Lord Jesus. Come out from among them and be separate, because God’s wrath will come upon the children of disobedience.
“I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:” 2 Corinthians 13:2
Do what is good in the sight of the Lord and you shall be rewarded. Do what is evil and you will be met by His fierce wrath. We can recognize the characteristics of God even through nature, as the Lord Jesus is the creator of sunny days, and also the Creator of….
….. Severe Weather
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 goups. 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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