FORGIVENESS

Psalm 130:4; Matthew 6:14; Acts 5:31

Psa 130:4  But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 

There is forgiveness with God. God is never a tyrant because He exercises forgiveness to those that repent. We find that very request from David in

Psalm 25:11 where David says – “For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.”

We find repentance within this pleading of David. David recognized the greatness of his sin and requested forgiveness. Notice the inference, “For thy name’s sake. This is for the glory of God.

We see David coming to God again. Once again David speaks of the forgiveness of God when he says in

Psalm 86:5 – “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”

He speaks of the goodness of God in reference to forgiveness. In the forgiveness of God we find an abundance of mercy. It is the mercy of God where we find His forgiveness for a multitude of sin. We praise and thank God because of His great mercy which He shows to us in the forgiveness of sin. Yet there is something we need to consider about God’s forgiveness.

Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 

God’s forgiveness is contingent upon our willingness to forgive. Forgiveness from us represents the “milk of human kindness.” This kindness is amply illustrated by those that have been born again by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Let me deviate here a little. The first hospitals were begun by Christians. They saw the need and the decision was not based upon monetary profit, but the compassion of heart for the sick. Later, there were those that saw the financial opportunity of hospitals and became involved not for christian feelings for the sick, but the financial benefits of charging for services rendered.

We must have a heart for the sick. We must have a heart of forgiveness for those that offend and also for those that need. We have the needy with us and are instructed in that area by

Proverbs. 21:13 – “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.” We should hear the cry of the sick and the needy. But we are further instructed by

Ephesians 4:32 – “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” This is written to the church at Ephesus. This should be our relationship with the members of the church. We should have Kindness and be tenderhearted toward each other with the forgiveness of offenses.

Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 

28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. 

29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 

30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 

32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. 

33  When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. 

Verse 31 is our key verse here. Through Jesus our Savior, we receive forgiveness. This is the supreme forgiveness we need because of sins that opens the door to heaven. This is a recounting of what happened to Jesus. His crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection for the sins of the world. This is the supreme forgiveness. The forgiveness of vile, wretched and unworthy men when Adam turned his back upon God and plunged the human race into the depths of the blackness of sin. Man needed a supreme forgiveness for his cleansing. This was accomplished through Jesus coming to earth wrapped in the flesh of man to become the perfect and complete sacrifice for man and bring forgiveness to all that repent. The Supreme forgiveness is found at the foot of the cross and the cleansing of the precious blood of Jesus the Son of God who has redeemed us from the curse of hell and provided an entrance into the glories of heaven and the presence of our LORD.

Fear of Man

Proverbs 29:25 – The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. 

Isaiah 51:12 – I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; 

John 12:42 – Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

There are many signs that show the fear of man. There is not a one of us that want to admit we have fear, especially the fear of not having mans approval. When we have fear, we feel the lack of safety. Mn normally seeks the approval of other men. For many, this fear keeps them from taking a stand. This fear holds them back from doing outstanding deeds. There are some that struggle with this problem all their life. Because of it they do not witness to the lost or take a stand for the truth.

Through Isaiah, God says “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;”. God always puts things in perspective. Man dies. At present, man lives. While man lives every man makes a fool of himself from time to time. The most knowledgeable says or does something stupid. The most cunning messes up from time to time. If truth is made known, we fear man more than we do God. What keeps us from blessing our meal in public? Fear of man. What keeps us from witnessing about our Savior? Fear of man. What keeps us from standing firm on the truths of the Bible. Fear of man.

Consider that some that know the Lord as Savior do not reveal themselves to others because of the fear of the things that they might have to give up or the worldly pleasures. One of the fears of some Jews that were saved was, they would be pushed out of the synagogue. They were saved but wanted to cling to their past life. Some are like that today.

We need to rise up and dispel the fear and be bold to take a stand for Christ and truth.

Fear of God

Joshua 24:14; Ecclesiastes 12:13; I Peter 2:17

There are those that have a serious problem with fearing the Lord. There are those that are lost and have no fear of God. There are those that say they are saved and have no fear of God. There are those that are lost and have seen the mighty hand of God working in peoples lives and they have not fear of God. Moses was dealing with Pharoah about releasing God’s people and some of the greatest miracles man has ever seen were brought to bear on Pharoah and his people. Here is what Moses said about Pharaohs hardened heart. Exodus 9:30; “But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.

Notice the benefits these scriptures tell us of fearing the Lord.

Psa_22:23  Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

Psa_33:8  Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa_34:9  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

Psa_115:11  Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

Psa_115:13  He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

Psa_118:4  Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa_135:20  Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.

Pro_3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Ecclesiastes tells us a thing or two about no fear of the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. 

We are told explicitly to fear God. We have Peter instructing us in I Peter 2:17; “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

We have plenty of excuses today for our actions. We use a statement, “God looks at the heart, God knows my heart, or don’t be so legalistic.” Some do not like to think that God expects any more than salvation. We are clearly told that we are a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1. We are told in Ephesians that we become new creatures, that old things are passed away, behold all things become new. When we have been saved, Our way of thinking changes, Our way of talking changes, Our way of living changes. There are many that claim to be saved that continue to curse, think wrong thoughts and live a way that does not show fear of the Lord. Those that are trying to do their best to live in a way that honors God are called legalistic. What a shame that that those want to live like Christ are maligned by others. May we fear God and live as much like Christ as possible. May we give our best to the Master.

Marriage

Put your spouse first so your marriage will last. A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. Love doesn’t keep score. “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord.” Ephesians 5:21 KJB

GOD’S WILL

We should never fear the will of God

APRIL 21 – The Fear of the Lord

APRIL 21 – The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

The beginning or starting place for the greatest relationship is the Fear of the Lord. It is obvious that the starting point of a relationship is respect and fear of the Lord. This leads to the beginning of knowledge. The greatest knowledge is the gathering of facts that come from the Lord. He is the creator of the Universe and the molder and maker of man. From Him, we breathe and move. In learning about God we gain facts that if we will live based upon those facts that God reveals to us, we will be pleasing to Him. Our lives will be enhanced, and we will live fuller lives that are productive. We will respond to His instruction and gain wisdom.

The fear of the Lord brings intellectual responsibility and activity to our daily life. We ponder the majesty of the Lord and His Holiness as compared to our sordid sinful life and mull over how God has been so good to us by providing a savior to cleanse us. We see the need to inquire into his attributes and character to learn more about the one who so graciously gave His Son that we might live.

I think about the ones that do not want to know more about our God, our Lord, our Savior. How tragic their lives must be to live a short life not knowing the depths and riches of our Lord.

The fear of the Lord brings reverence and worship and submission.

APRIL 7 – We are surrounded

APRIL 7 – We are surrounded

2Kings 6:15  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 

16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 

How often we feel overwhelmed. Life, at times will close in on us. We feel pressed down under a great weight. There are times we feel as if everyone is against us. We start feeling sorry for ourselves. We just want to quit and crawl in a hole and disappear from the rest of the world. Fear comes and overwhelms us. We feel deserted, detested, and defeated.

This is a time for us to open our eyes to the Lord. “He is a present help in time of need.” Our Lord has a hedge around His faithful saints. He has an everlasting love and a protection that springs from that love and surrounds us and protects us. Because of this, we can carry on.

No matter what the problem that we have, God is with us when we are in His will. He strengthens us when we are weak, restores us when we are tired, and protects us when we are besieged. There are times when we need our spiritual eyes opened to be able to see what the Lord can and will do. When our faith wavers because the challenge is great He causes us to be overcomers.

The call is not in seeing the victory but in Faith knowing that God will give the victory. We may never see the end till the work is done. Our faith must be exercised as we work to the end. We must know that God has won the battle and will give the victory in His time and in His way as long as we are faithful and true to Him.

Let us be able to see beyond the enemy and see the great and mighty power of God lifting us above the obstacles and carrying us to the Goal.

APRIL 2 – God is to be Feared

APRIL 2 – God is to be Feared

Psalm 89:7  God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

“In the Assembly,” God is greatly to be feared. What a head-scratching statement. Fear God” But God is all about love and forgiveness and sweetness, why should we fear? When we have a myopic vision of God that totally unbalanced and only one facet of God is spoken of, then we should fear God. We must understand that when an assembly is a scriptural assembly, God is there. That is the reason I cringe when excited people say, “God showed up today.” Sounds like this assembly never has the presence of God when they come together. What is worse is when they say, “God showed up and showed out.” When I showed out, my father applied the belt of education to the seat of knowledge. That is when I start ducking my head. When God’s saints assemble in a scriptural manner and worship, God is there.

There should be a fear when we assemble together. We should have a fear every day. In the assembly a fear or rather a healthy respect for the desires of God. Respect God’s design for worship, not our preference. God has no need for our carnal devices in His worship. If you love the Lord, you should be able to come together in a field under some trees and worship with psalms and hymns. Brush arbor meetings were simple and worshipful and many were saved.

Something that seems to be lost today is reverence. Reverence for where we meet God and it to be considered “Holy Ground.” Yes, I know some are going to make snide remarks about this. When Moses met God at the burning bush, God said, “take the shoes off your feet this is Holy Ground.” Joshua was instructed in the same manner. He was on Holy ground as related in Joshua 5:15. When Israel served God they had the same fear and reverence. I have attended the dedication of a few sanctuaries and some time during that service the sanctuary was set aside as the place we meet the Lord. How many have heard, “No running in the sanctuary.” “No food or drink in the sanctuary.” Because this is the place we meet God and worship Him on what we consider to be Holy Ground.

Where is our reverence today? We have lost it to convenience and carnal desires.

Can we, once again, make our sanctuaries a special place to meet God and worship Him in fear and reverence?

FEBRUARY 27 – Serve Him In Truth

FEBRUARY 27 – Serve Him In Truth

1Samuel 12:24  Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

What does it mean to fear the Lord? There is a fear of God that brings us closer to Him. That is a reverential fear knowing that God not only controls the rain and thunder but also controls the affairs of men. We are called to “serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” Psalm 2:11. The fear of the Lord should guide into paths of righteousness.

We are to serve Him in truth. Compromise is not the truth. When we compromise that then becomes a lie. We do not have the right to make adjustments in the truths that we have been given in God’s Word. John chapter 4 says to “worship in spirit and in truth.” Looking at that statement, if we do not have the truth we can not worship. It behooves us to diligently seek the truth so that we can worship. I am going to bring up one doctrine here. Most that will read this would agree that Jesus gave an ordinance to the Church called “the Lord’s Supper. Most would agree that the Lord’s Supper was closed and given to the members of those local Church members. Why do we think we can take that truth and modify it to suit us? Remember the admonition previous to this, fear the Lord. This is so clear.

What has the Lord done for you? The love of God is so precious to us that He sent His only begotten Son to this earth. He sent that Son to call out His Church to give a place of worship and service. He sent His Son to shed His blood for this Church what right do we have to minimize the Church that Jesus built. What right do we have to minimize the two offices of the Church or minimize the ordinances of the Church? We are to serve Him in truth. Yes, His blood was shed for the lost but never ever minimize or discount the blood shed for the truth.

May we find the truth so that we might worship.

JANUARY 23 – FEAR BRINGS THE VAPORS

JANUARY 23 – FEAR BRINGS THE VAPORS

Joshua 2:9-11 – 9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

When God is with us, who can be against us? The terror of God can cause the fear of the Lord come upon people. Rahab was telling of the great fear that came upon Jericho. It caused the people to faint (have the vapors) and the hearts to melt. The stories of Israel conquering other nations had come to their ears. Israel was a nomadic nation at this time. They had no permanent home and would be considered feeble. Yet they had a weapon that was more formidable than any weapon any nation had. That weapon was God.

We have a weapon in our life that no one can see. Yet it brings great fear. It causes atheists to fight against a God that they claim does not exist. For some that are lost, it brings fear but not repentance. For some of the saved they try to slink around and hide their sin because of fear. The shame is, there is no longer fear or shame of God.

The sin that used to slink down a back alley in shame. Now, it parades down the middle of main street with pride and advertising their sin. There is no longer shame in the sin that is committed.

We should be ashamed of the sins we commit and repent. We should warn others that God hates sin. Let us proclaim that God will stand in judgment of this world and will hold all sinners accountable. God will be with us as we proclaim His name.

Now go tell someone about Christ.