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.
There have been a few times during my life that I have been driving down the highway and happened to see a deer standing right in the middle of the road. As I slowed down, I would creep up to it slowly so it had the opportunity to get out of the way. But occasionally, one of them would slowly wander off to the left for a few moments, but then with great indecision, turn around and go the opposite way. Even when I honked on my horn, the creature could not commit itself to which side of the road it was going to go. All it did was stare at me, standing right in the middle of the road and refused to move one way or the other.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
In order to obtain eternal life, you cannot stand in the middle of the road. Jesus gives only two cut and dried options from the scriptures, either you repent of your sins, or you are going to perish. A lot of people really don’t like it when things are that dogmatic, but it’s true. You will be in one of two places after death on the Earth, in eternal Paradise, or eternal punishment, and it all comes down to your response to the teachings of Holy Scripture.
Luke 13:1-9 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
The reason why preachers are sent into this world is to save people. Save them from what, you might ask? From a lake of fire that will never be quenched. Some people will spend a lot of their lifetime in jails and prisons while here on the Earth, but that is nothing in comparison to what is coming in the future. Those who refuse to come to Christ Jesus and repent of the wicked deeds that they have done, are heading for eternal lockup, a place where there will be no reprieve nor clemency, and the suffering will never end.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus taught His own disciples that they needed to fear God, a quality that a lot of Christians don’t even possess today. In fact, many of them don’t want to believe in a lake of fire. They claim it’s mythology and that a loving God would never punish people like that. To actually believe that nonsense is called heresy, and unless repented of, will pull somebody right into hellfire. Punishment is a fact of life. What Dad is not going to punish their son for clobbering their little sister on the playground? What kind of principle is not going to punish a student for beating up a helpless child in their classroom? In the Christian faith we see the incredible love of God manifested in God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ. But we also see His incredible Justice, throwing over tables in the temple and whipping the crowd. Many people were scared of Him, and if they are doing wicked and evil things, they had better be!
Revelation 21:7-8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The Holy Spirit teaches us in this passage that in order to inherit all things, you must overcome the sinful nature. You must repent from dead works and become humbly obedient to the will of God. To overcome means to repent of what you have done. You must start by humbly confessing your faults to those whom you have wronged and to God. You must be so ashamed of what you have done that it causes you to turn away from the lifestyle that you lived in order to be faithful to Christ Jesus.
But there are many people who profess to believe in Jesus who have no fear of God whatsoever, and you can tell by their refusal to submit to the teachings of Christ. Christianity is not what it was 500 years ago, and has continued its steady decline. It’s not going to get better, it’s going to get far worse because people have no fear of God nor respect for the justice that He will administer. I guarantee you that God is not mocked, and those who refuse to repent will reap God’s vengeance, both here on the Earth and at judgment Day.
Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 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.
To avoid eternal condemnation one must be in Christ, which means to walk according to His purpose. You are only “in Christ” if you are walking in obedience to His will.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
I’ve heard many people say that their dad was overbearing or rough with them, but you know what I’ve learned in this life? I’ve had really strict and tough bosses to work for, but when I humbly submitted to them in everything, I excelled! I’ve worked for some people who nobody else would work for because they were so too tough on the employees, but I was promoted. Why? Submission to authority! A Christian wife is supposed to submit to her husband in everything. Can he be gruff and tough? Do what he says and bend over backwards to serve him and watch what happens. As scripture teaches, you will have praise of the same!
Our God is greatly to be feared, but do the things that He commands you, and His rewards are coming. I’ve seen the blessings of repentance throughout my life, and I guarantee that God will take you to a better place when you turn from your sins. The path of wicked living and rebellion only leads to misery and eternal punishment. Everybody must repent of the wrong things that they have done. God really doesn’t rejoice at sending people to the lake of fire, and He loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus to save us. But those who choose not to follow His way, and refuse to turn from sins are going to reap the reward of disobedience. As all the apostles preached, repent or perish!
Acts 20:20-21 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
You can’t act the way that the world does, and live as a Christian at the same time. You can’t go to church on the weekend, and live like a wicked reprobate the rest of the week. You must choose the path that you are going to walk, either the narrow road of Christ Jesus, or the wide road which leads to destruction. You are going to have to make a decision, but just remember that God is not going to save anyone who decides to stand in……..
……..The Middle of the Road
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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