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.
When I was very young, I was pretty interested in magnets and used to play with them quite a bit. I would impress my friends by setting one of my large magnets on top of the kitchen table. Then with my other hand hidden from view, I would reach underneath the table with another magnet. If you flipped it in the right direction, you could push the other magnet around on top of the dining room table. These unseen forces happened because when the North Poles of each magnet face each other, their magnetic fields will oppose, causing them to repel one another.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Like the poles of a magnet repel each other, God will resist all those who are proud in heart.
James 4 ⁶ But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
To resist means to fight against and to oppose. Not everybody can find a place of forgiveness with God, simply because of their own pride. God will actively resist those who are filled with that quality.
Luke 18 ⁹ And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
¹³ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Like a proud Pharisee, many people in the world actually believe that they are righteous in and of themselves. They might feel that they are an upright person in their community and have never done anything wrong in their life. But it is precisely this attitude that prevents them from getting forgiven with God. Scriptures have concluded that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 3 ⁹ What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; ¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: ¹¹ There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. ¹² They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. ¹³ Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
¹⁴ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: ¹⁵ Their feet are swift to shed blood: ¹⁶ Destruction and misery are in their ways: ¹⁷ And the way of peace have they not known: ¹⁸ There is no fear of God before their eyes. ¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Even the Old Testament law was set forth for the purpose of convicting us of our sinfulness. Normally in a courtroom people will declare that a defendant is guilty, but the truth is that in the eyes of God, everyone is guilty. Without repentance towards Christ Jesus and getting forgiven through God’s only begotten Son, people will reap the reward of the proud, and inherit everlasting punishment.
1 John 1 ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Because of God’s perfect Justice, He is going to punish sin both now and forever. In order to avoid this, He offers us a Divine reprieve which can only be found through faith in His only begotten Son Jesus. Jews would offer lambs as a sacrifice unto God, but Jesus is the lamb of God, sent by the Heavenly Father as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24
God grants us a gift of forgiveness so that we can have the opportunity to correct our behavior before His final judgment. This is called repentance, which is required to inherit eternal life. We must shun the old person that we once were, and become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Even in a courtroom, rather than sending a defendant off to prison, a judge might sentence them to probation instead.This is so they can change their lifestyles and avoid any further punishment. But in the sight of God, even the highest places of authority in this world are guilty in his presence. We have all made mistakes, but in order to avoid God’s punishment for sin, we must come forth with a humble heart and get forgiven.
“Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.” Proverbs 3:34
Just like my magnets, God will resist those who are proud in heart. Many people cannot find a place of forgiveness with God for that very reason. God hates pride, and those who are filled with that quality are outside of His grace.
“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5
The key to forgiveness is humility. It is a key that unlocks the grace of God. Only through humility can we admit our faults to God and others. Only through a penitent heart can our hearts be freed from the bondage of sin. Only through the acceptance of what you truly are, can you ever truly become the person God wants you to be.
James 4 ⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
God cares for us and came to save us, but pride can destroy any hope of a relationship with Him. People must first humble themselves in His sight, in order to eventually find a place of Mercy with Him. As humility draws us closer to God, pride will drive Him from you. Just as I learned in my childhood, God will push away everyone who is proud in heart, just like my magnet……
……. Underneath the Table
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 all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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