Tag Archives: Bible

Watchman, What is Left of the Night?

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“Watchman, what is left of the night”?  The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.” (Isaiah 21: 11, 12)

We wait as men condemned.  We search the sky for the appearance of He who never lies.  The world has condemned all who would be godly in Christ Jesus.  Yet we know we live as free men.  We do not want death to come upon anyone.  Yet the Lord of Glory has proclaimed, with absolute justice, that death will come upon all who remain in wickedness.  It is not ours to condemn anyone.  But it is our glorious duty to proclaim that message along side the message of hope.  For what is hope without the horror of death?

May we not forget His promise against all that is corrupt.  We hear the “good news” being spread all about us.  But it seems that many forget why we call it “good news”.  God is just and perfect.  He demands all people everywhere to turn from wickedness and seek holiness.  He has given His Son that all who desire might find Him and receive the power to become God’s people.  Yet the world invents their own brand of religion to cover over their wickedness. 

Here is only one warning among many.  There is darkness about them.  They cannot see what is coming and will not inquire.  Yet the darkness only hides the approach of   The Day of Judgment.  Darkness which envelopes man does not cancel or delay God’s Day of Truth.  Read this with wisdom and consider that it remains before all men as a truth which will not be taken out of the way.  

Mock, if you desire.  You do only yourself eternal damage.  Laugh and ignore, if that is what “floats your boat”.  It’s not my concern, but you will be concerned.  God is true and will keep His Holy word to accomplish an end to the wickedness of all men.  And what God promises comes true.  We can consider what God has promised as though it already is. 

   “‘The end! The end has come
   upon the four corners of the land!     The end is now upon you,
   and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
   and repay you for all your detestable practices.
   I will not look on you with pity;
   I will not spare you.
I will surely repay you for your conduct
   and for the detestable practices among you.

   “‘Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

(Ezekiel 7)

Though you did not ask me, I told you.  Though you did not seek, you were warned.  And was the warning necessary?  God has said that no one will own an excuse before Him, for all His Glory is displayed about men every day and every night.  There are days which will come and you will doubt His promise of “The end”.  Yet that day is coming.  Day will come, yet so will the night.  And then the sky will be rolled back as a scroll and you will see Him who you do not desire.  It will not go well for anyone who is not sheltered by the power of Christ Jesus toward holiness.  Prepare today and do not put this off. 

By His Grace.

And God Swore an Oath, That They Should Never Enter His Rest.

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I woke this morning and saw something in myself that concerns me.  It is a vague something, yet it’s markedly dangerous.  It’s hard to put my finger on what the cause might be.  But I recognize it’s danger from what I read of the people who God swore would never enter His rest.  It is a spirit of discontent. 

This spirit of discontent is the very bend which condemned those who were written of in Hebrews:

 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

   “Today, if you hear his voice,
 8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
   during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
   though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
   I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
   and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
   ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

I have heard His voice.  I am seeing what He is doing.  And yet this “hardness of heart” is bubbling within me.  The Lord is making me aware of it’s potential.  And I rest assured that He is able to help me crush it before it grows to a problem. 

What shall we say regarding this?  There are a number of items of importance which this subject brings to the forefront.  I’ll line them out and allow them to be displayed.  Often if we shine God’s light on such problems they have a tendency to evaporate before they cause damage.

  1. It is a “hardness of heart” and a symptom of rebellion.  It’s as though we set our feet in the sand and act like a little child who won’t go or do what dad says he must do.
  2. It was what caused Cain to murder Able.  Cain decided that he knew better what was correct.  And the result of this rebellion was murder.  What did God respond to Cain?  ” If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
  3. The potential of this spirit of rebellion is that we are cast away from God for eternity.  Potential is the key word.  Nip it in the bud before it begins to grow.  For this sin is the very essence of death to God’s people.  Through it we begin to allow our hearts to go astray and through it we forget (thus never knowing) His ways.
  4. Once more, and with power, we proclaim that God is able to rectify this spirit of rebellion within those who are being called out.  But we cannot even know it is within us without His leading.  The hideous nature of this sin is that it is so very like our natural state that we hardly recognize it’s growth untill it’s too late.

What shall we do to repair this “glitch” in our walk with God?  Since it was God who showed it to me, it will also be God who will remove it.  Yet He has spoken that our salvation is a mutual work.  He speaks to us regarding our sins and it is up to us to agree.  Yet it is not with our own strength that we will war against these sins. 

I can’t describe what we are able to do about our sinful nature.  It is beyond me to know how to remove such a natural tendency as rebellion against the rule of God in my life.  But I can clearly show what should be done in this matter:  I will turn to Jesus.  It is He who will be glorified in my life.  It is He who will announce to me that there is something needing our attention.  It is He who will cause me to consider the problem.  It is He who will advise the proper understanding regarding sin.  It is He who will send me through the paces necessary to remove the problem.  And it is He who, in the end, will remove it.

It is not our strength or will that receives the certification of God’s Holiness.  It is the very interaction of Jesus, the King of Kings, who brings us to His Father.  It will be Jesus who receives all Glory come that day.  If I build my house on anything else it will not stand.  What do we mean when we say “To God be the Glory, forever”?

I’m going to post this as is.  I am aware it’s not complete.  But it is essential enough to post quickly.  I am struggling at the top of my game to obey.  Yet I know I am not alone in this matter.  There are thousands who reach these points in their walk with Jesus and falter, never to rise again.  I can say, without doubt, that the answer is Jesus.  And I encourage questions, additions, and corrections to this post.  I could have saved it as a draft and worked on it later.  But I know I wouldn’t get back to it in a timely fashion.  I submit this, then, for the building up of the body of Christ.

By His Grace.

Scarlet is the Color of Extreme Sin.

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I posted a passage from Isaiah this morning regarding the nature of God’s expectations for men.  In the passage, God speaks of our sins.  He says, “Though your sins are as scarlet . . . “.  So why is God referring to extreme sins as a deep shade of red?

We think of good and bad in shades of light.  Horrible is marked by utter darkness; absolutely no light.  And Purity is marked by light; a great brilliance.  So why is God referring to extreme sin as a deep shade of red?

I thought, “Perhaps I don’t even know what scarlet is”.  So I did a google search for the color.  Then I went to image search to find the color depicted.  Ya know what popped up?  Porn.  “Oh!”  “Now I remember the ‘scarlet letter’ given to prostitutes and the sexually immoral.”  “Oh!”  “Now I remember how God often refers to His people as prostitutes; those who sell what is good for what is evil.  Oh.

In God’s eyes we are not shades of black and white.  We are labeled, either as those who chase after the things of the flesh, or those who chase after the things of God.  Which are you?  Which am I? 

By His Grace.

Who Are We?

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“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
   says the LORD.

This statement comes from the first chapter of Isaiah.  God is speaking of how His people have fallen.  And He speaks to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (that would be all people).  What are we that God would say to us, “Come now, let us settle the matter”?  Such a statement is not made to a chair.  We don’t speak like that to anything that cannot respond through free will.  We speak like that to each other, don’t we?  We have a demand that’s not being met by someone who is able to meet the demand but refuses to do so.  Who are we that God should have such expectations? 

We have heard that we are so limited, small, vulnerable, and victimized.  But that statement is not addressed as though we have no choice but to remain as we are.  It speaks of ability not limitation.  What will be the judgment of such a people who refuse to learn of what is holy and good?  If God sees us as able, then His judgment of us will be wrapped around that concept.  “You were able to obey me because I gave you all you needed to learn this obedience”.  Perhaps that is going to be one of the phrases heard by the rebellious.

Consider, people, consider Him!  It will not be long before you stand in His Glorious and Holy presence to receive the just reward of your life.  I tell you a truth: It will be awesome to behold Him.  And it will not go well for the vast majority of mankind.  The rest of that chapter speaks of His expectations and His ability to restore those who desire to rid themselves of rebellion. 

This post is filled, to overflowing, with promise and warning.  I could have just pointed to the scripture and expected you to go read it.  But understanding the times, I know there are very few who read the Bible anymore.  Perhaps you think I speak with too much authority on this matter.  My words are light and carry the weight of a man.  But the words of God are filled with extreme authority.  Regardless what you think, you will die a hideous death of guilt at the hands of the Almighty God if you don’t heed what is posted here. 

Don’t think to yourself that refusing to read the Bible will excuse you from judgment.  “I didn’t know what you said in that book.  So I’m not to be held responsible for what you said there”.  Don’t allow the foolishness of your sinful mind to lure you into death.  You do know what He wants.  And you will be held accountable for all His Holiness on that day.

By His Grace.

On Seeking God.

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I have heard some say they searched for God and found nothing.  I have heard people say they have found God, yet I see no evidence in the way they live their lives.  I have heard people say there is no need to search for God; it is His task to seek us.  In short, we have all heard many versions of this statement.  The following is an observation regarding seeking God.

He says “You will seek me and find me when you seek for me with all your heart.  And I will be found by you”.  The promise is true.  I can testify to that.  So why don’t more people find what they’re looking for?  They seek Him with wrong motives.  He will not honor pride.  So the one who looks for Him as though He was an anomaly won’t find Him.  That one is looking for God as if God were the created one.  That person is still holding himself up as God and taunting God by forgetting who made who.

Some say they have found God, yet there is no apparent difference in the life they live.  These people lie by their actions.  It is possible they can identify what God is.  But that’s as far as they intend to go.  God is not mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  He who sows to the sinful nature, will reap that crop.  He who sows from the Spirit of God will reap his reward according to God’s will.

He who thinks it is the Creator’s task to find and secure lost souls is missing a great mark.  God knows where you are.  He knows who you are.  He knows what you’ve done.  He knows your attitude.   And He makes the demand that you seek Him.

By His Grace.

Sharing the Gospel

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Talking with the Lord tonite He gave me something to ponder: “Every man is dry ground.  He is neither plowed, planted, nor rained upon”.   It took me quite a while to unravel that one.  

In sharing the Good News of Jesus with others we often make a classic blunder.  We assume they know what we’re talking about.  After all, Jesus is and has been the focus of so many debates and conversations over the centuries.  “How could they not know”?  But what the Lord has said is true.  If we believe they do know what we know about Jesus, and they still disobey Him we fall into judging one another.  It is important that a man or woman of God refrain from prejudging.  Especially when trying to share the Gospel. 

The Lord always gives something ponderous to ponder, doesn’t He.

By His Grace.